In a tweet posted a few hours ago (translated by Automaton), Sakurai calls the length of the Switch 2 presentation "a surprise," but quickly clarifies that "I do not know the contents of the announcement (besides, I don't belong to Nintendo)."

Despite his disclaimer, he acknowledges that "people are going to suspect no matter what I say," and he knows this from experience. As Automaton points out, it was only last week that the Smash Ultimate director's short, simple response to Nintendo announcing its March Direct prompted fans to speculate whether he was teasing an announcement of his own. Needless to say, he wasn't and remarked that he can't tweet "carelessly."

To be fair, fans do have reason to anticipate an announcement from Sakurai at some point. Last October, he confirmed that in July 2021, he "received a request to write a game proposal" and was "given the OK to move forward with production" in October 2021. He apologized that he wasn't able to "share more about this project," but added: "Assuming that we're able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later."

He's remained quiet on this since – we still don't have any idea what the game is or when we can expect it to surface. It's certainly one to look forward to, but it sounds like the developer knows better than to give away any clues on Twitter.

In the meantime, we'll just have to get ready for whatever Nintendo has up its sleeve today – Sakurai says he's "looking forward to it," and he's definitely not the only one.

You can keep up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news in our live blog – here's hoping we get some news about upcoming Switch 2 games.

He began his career on the stage, before his breakthrough in Top Gun and Real Genius in the mid-'80s. However, it was his performances in Willow (1988) and as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) that really secured him as a name to watch. He played Batman in 1995's Batman Forever, as well as starring in iconic movies like True Romance, Heat, and Kiss Kiss Bang.

In recent years, Kilmer hasn't appeared on screen much, but he did make a memorable appearance in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick. He reunited with Tom Cruise in the movie, reprising his role as fighter pilot Iceman. At the time, director Joseph Kosinski told GamesRadar+ that it was a "really memorable day" filming the scene.

He shared: "To get a chance to work with him was a dream come true, to do it with him playing Iceman and to be able to do it in a scene where he and Tom are together to people who have so much respect for each other, and to have it be a reunion of not only two characters, but two men in real life… [It was a] really emotional day."

News of Kilmer's death was shared by his daughter Mercedes, who confirmed he had died of pneumonia. Kilmer previously had throat cancer but later recovered.

Tributes have poured in for the star, including from Heat director Michael Mann. “While working with Val on Heat I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character," he said via Variety. "After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

Josh Brolin also reacted to the news on Instagram, writing: "See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts."

Our thoughts are with Kilmer's family at this time.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the previously unseen footage showed "Superman getting assistance from a particularly rambunctious Krypto, who eventually drags him into the Fortress of Solitude. A number of lines were greeted with laughter from the crowd."

When director James Gunn took to the stage, he said, "I cannot wait to share the film with all you guys and the rest of the world.” He added, “We’re still in the throes of post-production."

This follows on the heels of the movie's massive first trailer, which introduced us to David Corenswet's Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor – and most importantly, Krypto the Superdog.

This is the first movie in Gunn's DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, following on from the TV show Creature Commandos.

Speaking about the first trailer, Gunn teased the tone of the movie. "I think I wanted the trailer to really get the essence of the film," he said. "You know, the film is optimistic, yet not without its darker moments. It's a big science fiction movie, but at the same time, incredibly grounded in the way we treat the characters and everything else. So I wanted it to be something that was the essence of Superman, that was the Superman that I grew up with, that I love, but also something new at the same time."

Superman will hit theaters on July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has in store.

It was revealed by Variety during CinemaCon that Keanu Reeves is set to return for John Wick 5, which has been officially confirmed by Lionsgate.

"Keanu, Chad [Stahelski], Basil [Iwanyk] and Erica [Lee] would not return unless they had something truly phenomenal and fresh to say with these characters and this world," Lionsgate's Fogelson said. Iwanyk and Lee added, "It’s so important to get this story right and give John’s story the proper next step. It’s exciting to take the first step on that road."

Wick's return wasn't the only thing announced. The Lionsgate team also shared a whole lot about two other brand new projects in the John Wick Universe. Donnie Yen is not only set to reprise his role as blind assassin Caine in a spin-off movie, but direct the pic himself.

"The John Wick films have set an immensely high standard for action filmmaking and I greatly appreciate Lionsgate giving me the opportunity to further elevate the franchise," Yen said during the Lionsgate panel. "I am both thrilled and deeply inspired to make this happen.”

The studio also announced an anime prequel series, in which Reeves will lend his voice. Per Variety, the prequel series will "recount the origins of Wick as he completes the Impossible Task [...] to free himself from his obligation to the High Table and earn the right to be with the love of his life, Helen." Shannon Tindle, who helmed Netflix's Ultraman: Rising, is set to direct.

Reeves will appear as Wick in Ballerina, the upcoming spin-off movie that stars Ana de Armas as a dancer-turned-assassin, before suiting up once again for John Wick 5.

Ballerina hits theaters on June 6. John Wick 5 does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, skip right to our list of movie release dates.

During a new episode of their Kit & Krysta podcast, former Nintendo Minute hosts Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang talk about why "everything is about to change at Nintendo." While the arrival of a brand new console generation is obviously enough to change things pretty significantly, what the pair is actually referring to is much sadder.

Folks, I'll get straight to the point: some of the old guard at Nintendo is getting up there in age, and with console generations lasting around 7-8 years these days, there's a good chance many of them won't be with the company for the Switch 3, or whatever the next thing ends up being.

"Several of the major developers at Nintendo who we have known for 40 something years are probably going to phase out of the company through retirement over this generation, assuming this lasts 7-8 years," predicts Ellis, who proceeds to run through a list of the some of the most influential Nintendo developers and their respective ages.

Ellis points out that Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong series, is currently 72 years old. "A lot of people at Nintendo, they retire at 65. He obviously has reasons to stick around, and they need him, and he obviously wants to work, but in eight years he will be 80 years old... getting up there."

Ouch.

Yoshio Sakamoto, known for the Metroid series, is 65. "He is right at that age," says Ellis, adding that Miyamoto's right-hand man Takashi Tezuka is 64. Meanwhile, the legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo is 63, the hosts point out. Eiji Aonuma, producer for the Zelda series, is 62; Kensuke Tanabe, the Metroid Prime series producer, is also 62, and Shin'ya Takahashi, Nintendo's head of planning and development, is 61.

"I'm not saying all of these people are going to be gone, but some number of them probably will be, so it's an open question of who's going to take these key leadership roles, not only within the gaming franchises that we know, but just within the company in general, there's going to be a natural, cultural change as new people take over these roles," Ellis says.

"It's going to feel different when these people exit the company because you just can't replace them," adds Yang. "You can teach the skill set, but you can't replace them as humans. It's just going to feel different. It may not mean that the games are going to be bad, it's just going to feel different."

Now that I'm lying in a puddle of my own tears, Ellis swoops in to save the day with some soundly reasoned optimism: actually, change can be good.

"There's a really good side of this too," Ellis says. "We get some different perspectives, we get some different thinking. It's just natural that there's going to be some sort of change that is happening with the company as all these new people come in and all of that NES/Famicom era starts to naturally cycle out."

OK, and now I'm back to crying. Yes, there's plenty of reason to be hopeful that new talent is learning under the careful stewardship of these legendary developers, and it's also reasonable to be excited for some fresh ideas, but I hadn't really confronted the fact that so many of the people behind franchises I've loved since early childhood are hitting retirement age this next console generation.

Ah well, in the wise words of Sheik from Ocarina of Time:

"The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days."

"I wish that our industry hadn't shed almost… 30, 40, 50,000 jobs over the past two years," Jorjani tells The Game Business. "A lot of people at the top were making very unsound business decisions, and there's very little accountability on their part. Who among these executives is stepping down? Or slashing their salaries?"

Jorjani acknowledges that it's the devs who are "paying the cost of that," and that vast, quick expansion is "a terrible way to run our industry." And that rapid expansion might not even be terribly helpful to an absurdly popular online game. He cites a conversation with the Genshin Impact devs, saying that MiHoYo has "1500 developers working on stuff, but it's still not enough for the players. Despite us dropping really cool updates, new factions and weapons… we just can't keep up. Nobody can."

Jorjani says he wants Arrowhead "to be a role model for how to do sustainable growth, because the industry today is not in a good place," with companies shedding jobs because of "bad growth decisions made by business leaders who have taken stupid risks." Here's hoping those risks get a bit less stupid in the years to come, but the game industry regularly proves how little care executives are willing to pay when gambling with people's livelihoods.

"I'm not saying don't grow, but do it in a way where you don't have to then let go of one third of the company because you made stupid decisions," Jorjani concludes. "I’m not going to hire a hundred people, I would like to do that and help people in the industry, but my first priority is to make sure that people have jobs for many years." Fingers crossed a few more CEOs are willing to take that kind of stand.

After taking on $1.5 billion in debt over a $2 billion gamble, embattled Embracer CEO responsible for over 1,400 layoffs broke out classic scapegoats in 2024: Russia and Covid.

In the case of Helldivers 2, you can mostly point to one big change at the root of its controversies: the one that required all players to sign into a PlayStation Network account even if they were playing on PC. The backlash was swift, united, and forceful enough that, just three days later, Sony walked back the decision and then-Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt commended the "willpower" of the Helldivers community.

While that was undeniably Helldivers 2's fiercest headwind, there were also a number of balance changes, not to mention a perceived lack of fresh content in updates, that contributed to the game's fall from grace. At the game's lowest point, it had fallen to an abysmal 19% user score on Steam.

Talking to The Game Business, current Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani opened up about what it was like heading up a studio during what he called its "summer of pain."

"Games that get 19% user score do not generally recover," he said.

"Maybe the lowest point during my tenure so far. I had to explain to [Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst] why things were in the state they were, and what we were going to do to recover. And I had to say the awkward truth that there is nothing we can do in the short term. But in the long term, we have plans that will get us back on track"

In the ensuing months, Arrowhead drew up a coordinated 60-day plan to make things right, culminating in a big update that included significant buffs to grenades and sentries, as well as long-avoided anti-tank mines. Months later, the game has managed to claw its way back up to a 76% positive reviews on Steam, and the mood at the studio is reportedly much better.

"I was inspired by No Man's Sky and the team over there," Jorjani said. "They had a similar journey. The game was hyped, then bombed, and then they put the head to the grindstone and just updated the game."

Helldivers 2 boss outlines the single design trick that eventually led to his breakout success: "This works, I think we're gonna be rich someday."

Per Deadline, a season 2 writers' room is set to start up soon, with filming set to begin later this year or early 2026.

Dexter: Original Sin follows Dexter Morgan (Paddy Gibson) as he transitions from student to vigilante serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, his adoptive father Harry (Christian Slater) helps him channel his inner darkness. If you've seen the original Showtime series, Harry helps him design a 'special code' to help him find and kill murderers, traffickers, and other various types of terrible people without getting caught. However, this becomes a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department - which makes him better at his secret vigilante gig in the long run.

The series received mostly mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, sitting at a 68% critics score and a 76% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (which isn't too bad considering how prequels tend to fare). The show premiered to 2.1 million viewers, setting a record for Showtime.

Christian Slater, Christina Milian, Molly Brown, Jasper Lewis, Patrick Dempsey, and Sarah Michelle Gellar also star. Original Sin was conceived by Clyde Phillips, who served as showrunner on season 1 of the flagship series as well as the revival series Dexter: New Blood. And yes, another Dexter offshoot is on the way.

Dexter: Original Sin is streaming now on Paramount Plus. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2025 and beyond.

A press release from the union says that "more than 94%" of members voted in favor of this authorization. The authorization does not necessarily mean that a strike will happen, but it gives union leaders the power to call such a strike if negotiations remain stalled. ZeniMax Workers United already called a single-day strike last year in protest of forced return-to-office mandates and Microsoft's decision to outsource QA work. Those concerns are still a key part of the union's concerns today, alongside "better wages" and "workplace improvements."

"Despite being one of the world’s largest corporations, we’ve had to continuously fight for what should be bare minimum," union member and associate QA tester Aubrey Litchfield said in the press release. "Paying your employees a livable wage as a multi-trillion dollar company is the least they could be doing; however when addressed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as though we’re asking for too much."

"Our quality assurance team is an integral part of our business and is key to our ability to deliver games our players will love," Microsoft said in a statement to GamesRadar+ when reached for comment. "We respect the team's right to express their viewpoints and are deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution that acknowledges the teams' contributions.

"There has been substantial progress over the course of the negotiations, reaching tentative agreements on a majority of the topics at the table. We have presented a package proposal that we believe is fair – if accepted it would result in immediate compensation increases, even more robust benefits and is in alignment to the company’s hybrid model of 3 days in office. We look forward to continuing this progress during negotiations."

Senior QA tester Zachary Armstrong said in the union's press release: "Underpayment and costly RTO initiatives have caused many of us to put our lives on pause because our income does not match even the rising cost of living in the cities where ZeniMax insists we live and work to maintain employment."

The exact details of the contract negotiations are not public knowledge, but Microsoft's promise of hybrid working arrangements demonstrably aren't sufficient for many union members. As Litchfield notes elsewhere in the release, "we’ve released multiple titles while working fully remote." We've seen developers at studios like Blizzard and Rockstar similarly push back against forced return-to-office policies.

"We’re not afraid to use our union power to ensure that we can keep making great games," senior QA tester Skylar Hinnant said. "All of us want to be working. We hope that Microsoft will allow us to do so with dignity and fairness to all by securing a first contract with our union."

Xbox spoke in quite friendly terms about unions during its Activision Blizzard buyout, but it'll take an actual contract to see how far that friendliness goes.

The official Twitter account for the Superman movie announced the news with a video from cast members David Corenswet, who plays the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan, who stars as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult, who plays billionaire supervillain Lex Luthor. The five-minute clip from DC's upcoming Superman movie, which marks the first feature-length project in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU, will play during the previews before A Minecraft Movie. You can check out the announcement below.

Both movies are highly anticipated and kid-friendly, so the collaboration makes sense (not to mention Warner Bros. is distributing both films).

A feature-length adaptation of the popular world-building video game Minecraft was announced back in 2019, and went through several changes in writers and directors before landing on Napoleon Dynamite helmer Jared Hess and screenwriters Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, and Chris Galletta. Superman was first announced in 2023 after a follow-up to 2014's Man of Steel was scrapped and both the DCEU and Snyderverse were retired. Gunn directs and wrote the screenplay, which boasts a much lighter tone than what we've seen from DC in recent years.

A Minecraft Movie hits theaters on April 4. Superman flies into theaters and IMAX on July 11, 2025. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or, check out the ever-growing list of upcoming video game movies.

A recent episode of the Kit & Krysta podcast, hosted by 10-year Nintendo alums Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, recently dropped a new episode all about why they're hopeful for a thriving AAA scene on the Switch 2. The bulk of their argument rests on the massive success of the Switch compared to its predecessor, the wonderful but commercially catastrophic Wii U. However, they also point to the strong sales of massive, technically demanding AAA games on Steam Deck as an indicator of a vibrant market for toned-down versions of those titles on portable platforms.

"A lot of these big studios got a lot of experience and positive feedback through putting their game on the Steam Deck and translating it to a piece of hardware that's maybe not as powerful as the high-end PC that, of course, they would envision that everyone would have that experience with," Ellis reasons, "but they saw, 'no wait, there's a lot of people that want to play a version that's maybe a little bit dialed down because they want that extra form factor.

"I'm talking about Baldur's Gate 3. I'm talking about Elden Ring. I'm talking about Cyberpunk. The list goes on ... we don't yet know the complete under-the-hood power of the Switch 2, but it's not crazy to say, 'well, if it can run on a Steam Deck it probably can run on a Switch 2, right?'"

Nintendo has been tight-lipped about the Switch 2's software lineup since the console was formally announced in January, but that's all about to change with the April Switch 2 Direct that's happening this week. Right now, all we know is that there's a new Mario Kart game coming to the Switch successor, but everything else is just rumors and speculation.

Speaking of which, here's our biggest Nintendo Switch 2 Direct predictions as the rumor mill kicks up questions about the console's price, launch lineup, specs, and more.

That said, conflicting leaks have put a pin in concrete plans for the Nintendo Switch 2 over the last few days.

I've been tracking pre-orders for the biggest drops since 2020, that's five years of hunting down hard-to-find hardware across both the US and UK. I've learned how each retailer behaves, common early signs of wavering supply levels, and when to expect new waves of stock to appear.

While we await word on exactly whether Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will drop, I'm getting you prepped with everything I've learned so far. Should the brand push the magic button in its Nintendo Switch 2 Direct live later today I'll be bringing you all the latest stock as well.

The retailers to watch

• Amazon: No product page live
• Best Buy: Sign up for email notifications
• Walmart: No product page live
• GameStop: Sign up for email notifications
• Nintendo: No product page live

The latest on Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders

Here's what we know so far...

Best Buy Canada published a blog post last week, which confirmed the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date for April 2. The page has since been removed from the site, but was up and running for around four hours before being taken down.

However, newer leaks have pointed towards an April 9 pre-order date making us wait a whole extra week. That means Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders could go live within just a few hours, but they could also still be days away - I'm not taking the risk on missing out.

We've also got new information around the rumored price of the Nintendo Switch 2. Last night, a UK retailer had hidden a £499.99 cost behind a PayPal payment plan option - a higher figure than most were expecting from the new generation device.

And we're off, I'll be bringing you all my tips and tricks for grabbing a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order should stock drop tomorrow. I'll be here all afternoon and evening, making sure you're up to date with any retailer movements that could suggest those doors are about to open and getting you prepped with the retailers and trade-ins you should be keeping a close eye on when that Direct launches.

Will Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders drop tomorrow?

The rumor mill has been spinning up over the last few days, but here's what we know right now.

On March 27, Best Buy Canada published a (now deleted) blog post stating that Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will drop on April 2. That follows the timeline set out by the previous handheld's launch exactly, giving us good reason to hope for early orders tomorrow.

However, on March 28, the following day, retailer documents were leaked suggesting an April 9 date instead. The full report, surfaced by Insider Gaming, states that the store in question was concerned that its initial allocation of stock wouldn't meet demand on that April 9 launch date.

'Pre-order coming soon' messaging was also included in the report, speculated to be published on the retailer site after the Direct, alongside a timer countdown running to April 9.

There are two conflicting stories here, but I'm not going to let Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders pass me by - I'm keeping my ears to the ground tomorrow regardless.

What's this about a coin?

Ah yeah, one more thing from Insider Gaming's report. Apparently, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will also launch with a collectable coin. We have no idea of the scale or aesthetic of the coin but if there's one thing Ninty fans love it's exclusive merch. We'll have to wait and see if this fabled currency exists or not, but it does feel like a Nintendo move.

Should you pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2?

If you're already here, you're likely already pretty sold on getting in on Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders from day one. If you're on the fence, though, it's worth thinking about how soon you need to be playing new games.

The next Switch is backwards compatible, and there's already a massive library of titles on the current-generation console. If you've still got a backlog, a handheld to play them on, and you're in two minds about the Nintendo Switch 2, a pre-order might not make sense.

While the new console will undoubtedly run old games better than the previous generation, you're still paying more to do so. If none of the new lineup takes your fancy, or you're content to keep trucking along with the console in your possession there might not be a need to jump on any pre-orders if they do materialize today.

That said, definitely don't hold off in the hopes of getting a better price after launch. Nintendo hardware doesn't drop its value for years after release, so I'm expecting to see handhelds at MSRP at least through Black Friday 2025.

So who should be pre-ordering? If you are set on playing through the rest of your backlog in as high a quality as possible, or any of the launch line up games need to be day one hits, it's well worth getting in with an early order rather than waiting for launch.

Nintendo has stated that availability will be plentiful, but some stores have expressed concerns around selling out on day one. The truth is, we just don't know how stock is going to play out when release day comes - it's better to be safe with your email receipt.

GameStop's trade-in prices are looking pretty sweet

A tweet by Mike Odyssey seemingly leaked GameStop's Nintendo Switch trade-in rates today, with the retailer reportedly offering $175 in trade-in value for a Switch OLED and $125 for a standard edition console.

The Nintendo Switch Lite is currently rumored to be worth $100 off your Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order if you're going for the mega-upgrade. That's not a shabby discount, especially if you're currently rocking the flagship OLED model.

Of course, only time will tell if these rates are real.

How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?

That's the question that has been on everyone's lips since the handheld was first rumored years ago. At the moment, I'm putting a solid bet on a $399.99 MSRP in the US (and £379.99 - £399.99 RRP in the UK). That's based off years' worth of rumors, sure, but it also feels like the right value. I'd be surprised if Nintendo went over the $400 mark with this device, and UK prices are typically a little cheaper.

Of course, there's more to the price discussion right now

It's even more difficult to put a final price on the Nintendo Switch 2 in the US right now. Tariffs are always on the brain these days, but they might be coming for our handhelds as well. The trade situation in the US is anything but simple, and with so many parts moving so quickly it's possible that the final USD rate for the Switch 2 is back up in the air again.

It will be interesting to see how retailers handle Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders without a concrete price tag, but there does seem to be some ambiguity from more recent speculation. None of the Best Buy Canada, GameStop, or Game Informer leaks mention a cost even once - that could be because even the retailers themselves are unsure of where they stand.

Personally, I'm expecting to see a US rate in tomorrow's presentation. I'm expecting pre-orders to start tomorrow using that MSRP. However, I would also expect that cost to increase should tariffs fall in the way in the near-future.

A new pricing clue

As is tradition, as soon as I make my price prediction, something comes along to change my mind. Simply Games, a UK retailer, has updated its Switch 2 landing page and that PayPal button has something to say.

While the Switch 2 isn't available to pre-order yet, the store has added this split-payment option, and opening it up reveals a suspicious £499.99 RRP. That's at the top end of analyst predictions, and a rate that throws more conservative $399.99 / £399.99 estimates into the wind.

Via @Zuby_Tech

... And a theory about those two pre-order dates

April 2 and April 9, those are the two Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order dates floating around at the moment. Maybe it's not an 'either or', though - maybe Ninty is going the way of Sony.

I was stock tracking during last year's PlayStation 30th Anniversary stock drops, where Sony reserved some of its more popular gadgets for its own site. The Pro console, Portal handheld, and Edge controller were all exclusive to PS Direct, and pre-orders at this site launched around a week in advance of wider retailers.

That could well be what we see tomorrow, Nintendo launches pre-orders on its own page first and allows the rest of the gang in on the fun on April 9.

Will Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders sell out?

There's another little tidbit from Insider Gaming's report. The 'major retailer' that provided the leak surrounding the April 9 pre-order date also laid out its concerns that initial stock allocations would quickly be depleted during the first wave of interest. That certainly doesn't bode well for Nintendo's plan of attack.

The brand has been resolute in its apparent commitment to ensuring the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn't become a reseller's dream - instead focusing on upping supplies.

Still, we live in a world where the PS5 and Xbox Series X were scooped up before you could even load the page. It's reasonable to be cynical.

This is a big launch, so I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders ran out of stock on day one. Retailers only have as many units as they've been allocated by Nintendo, after all.

However, I don't expect it to be as difficult to find a Switch 2 on the shelves afterwards as it was with previous current-gen consoles. You might have to wait a day or two if you miss out on that first round, but signs are pointing towards faster second and third stock waves this time around.

My top tip for securing a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order: Sign in

If there's one thing you take away from tonight's preparations it's this; sign into your accounts. If tracking PS5 and Xbox Series X stock over the years has taught me anything, it's that your checkout speed can be make or break. I saw consoles snatched out of carts right up until the very last second in previous launches - retailers don't care if you've got a Switch 2 in your basket until you've paid.

To speed up the process, sign in (and choose to stay signed in) with every retailer you plan on checking in your pre-order hunt. Not only that, but save your shipping and payment information (you can always delete it again later). That way you're cutting down the time spent during the checkout phase once those doors swing open.

Retailer spotlight: Amazon

Amazon is either going to be your best friend or your worst enemy if Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders drop tomorrow. The online retailer has the site structure and warehouse space to shift a huge number of handhelds when the bell rings, but it's sometimes late to the party. For example, I didn't see any 30th Anniversary PS5 stock here on day one when those special edition consoles launched last year. Even as far back as 2020's stock troubles, Amazon was spotty at best.

However, Bezos does like a surprise drop. I've stared blankly at strange new console stock magically appearing on Amazon's site after weeks of drought - if things move fast at other retailers when pre-orders do land, it's well worth keeping that refresh button hot.

Of course, pre-ordering at Amazon also comes with its own benefits if you're a Prime member. Speedy shipping makes all the difference come launch day, after all.

Where to sign up for email notifications (and why you should)

I do find email notifications to be useful - but not necessarily for heading straight to fast-selling stock. Instead, retailers will likely be able to provide you with direct links to their product pages when they send their initial pre-order emails. That's more valuable than you think.

Whenever I'm tracking stock, I have to keep a bank of retailer links handy - but if a product hasn't been listed yet, I'm essentially guessing at where it might turn up. Sometimes stores are sneaky.

Amazon is particularly bad at this - sometimes retailer sites won't load brand new products into search fields quick enough for you to get at them. That's valuable time while you hunt for the actual product page where the Nintendo Switch 2 is listed. An email notification will generally take you straight there.

Best Buy has a sign up form for email notifications around pre-order dates, also allowing information about 'games and more' to hit your inbox. However, the site also states that 'you will not be opted in to any other Best Buy email communications.'

GameStop is also running emails that will let you know 'when Switch 2 is available' via its own site.

It's officially April 2, the day of the Nintendo Switch 2. Pre-orders could drop in a matter of hours now, so while we wait for that 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST showcase, I'm sharing more of my tips and tricks to make sure you're in the best position for when they do. It's still early in the US, but the UK has awoken - and it's time to start talking retailers.

What are retailers saying this morning?

Retailers haven't quite woken up yet, but Best Buy has added a button to watch the live stream right on its own website. I've had a close look at that page, hunting down any more accidental leaks on the site but there doesn't seem to be any more information available right now.

Amazon still doesn't have a product page live, but I'd expect that. The retailer usually hides these listings, or makes them very difficult to find, before stock is actually available - I'll be bringing you the product page as soon as I get it.

Walmart is also quiet right now, without even a mention of today's announcement on its shelves. That's a little more surprising, though understandable considering how hush-hush that pre-order date actually is. The store is known for posting exact times for its Plus members to gain exclusive early access - but that would give the whole game away this time.

Meanwhile, GameStop's messaging is more of the same. We've got a product page here (and I'm trying to work out if that 'coming soon' message is new or not), with email notifications available. The site also states you can 'check back soon for pre-order info', though how soon is 'soon'?

I don't know if this is a late April Fools, but Genki has something to say

The brand behind some of the best Nintendo Switch accessories on the market, Genki, is running its own Direct presentation today. The live YouTube feed has appeared on the brand's channel, but there's no mention on the website itself. This could well be a late joke - especially considering the cheeky description but if we were to fall for it for just a second, there could be some information in here.

That 'Pre-orders start today' messaging has raised an eyebrow. The link takes us to an empty collection waiting to be filled with Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, but if Genki is using this gag to announce its full roster of new-generation gadgets and they do actually launch for pre-order today - well that's another thing entirely.

Retailers are sworn to secrecy over the Switch 2 pre-order date - and that changes things

Nintendo's a fun, family-friendly brand - it's also terrifying if you get on its bad side. Look, Mario's not afraid of a lawsuit and retailers definitely don't want to make him mad.

That's why we haven't had even a whisper of confirmation on any store pages in the lead up to today's presentation. Best Buy Canada did accidentally leak today's April 2 date, but Ninty sent Peach round pretty quick and the page went quiet. I expect that sworn silence will, however, could either work in our favor or to our detriment should Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders drop today.

That's because some stores, particularly Walmart and GameStop, often use these major launches to push their membership programs. Walmart Plus and GameStop Pro subscribers can get exclusive access to new stock much earlier than us regular folk. In the days leading up to a pre-order event, each store will advertise its membership non-stop, whereas this time around they haven't had the chance.

That means it's likely that, should today be the day, it will be a pre-order launch for the masses. On the one hand that means more competition, but on the other it means even those without a subscription can get in on day one. Be sure to sign in, save your information, and keep that refresh button warm.

Top Tip: Don't wait for Nintendo - this is a race

If Switch 2 pre-orders do go live today, things are going to move fast once Nintendo gets the word out. Don't wait for the Direct to tell you that stock will be dropping soon - get those retailer pages loaded up well ahead of time. Most stock hunters will be heading straight to those same pages once Ninty drops the magic words and that kind of surge can crash sites. It's better to be already in place and refreshing.

While it's unlikely that all stores will set their stock live as soon as Nintendo gives the nod, you'll be in pole position to scoop up the first drops.

What time could Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders start today?

Officially, if Switch 2 pre-orders do land today they will likely be kicking off at 10am ET / 7am PT / 3pm BST, with the Direct presentation beginning an hour before and lasting the full 60 minutes. That's based on previous tradition, but also on Best Buy's leaks last week.

Not all retailers will be launching at the same time though.

This will more likely be a staggered process where different stores hit the button at different times, so it's well worth lining up a range of retailers at once. If today is the day, I expect to see rolling waves of stock continuing into the afternoon before finally selling out of that initial allotment. Don't fret, though.

As I mentioned earlier, it's likely that the Switch 2 will sell out on day one - but I'm not expecting this to be a long-lasting drought. Nintendo's upped production and more pre-order waves could well roll up much quicker than they did with previous console launches.

Remember: There's no need to buy from resellers

Even if Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders do run out of stock today, there is no need to buy from resellers. More units will be available and you're going to be paying an exorbitant price for your handheld if you grab it from the secondary market. People were paying ridiculous amounts for a PS5 or Xbox Series X back in the day, only for new waves of stock to land straight after.

Top Tip: Don't discount retailer bundles if stock runs low

This is something I see more often in the UK, particularly at Very, but if you do happen to spot a bundle at a major retailer while stock is running low it's worth giving it a second look. These won't look like the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Bros. Wonder package deals we've seen in the last few months - instead they're collections of games or accessories put together by the store itself.

Essentially, they're a workaround to avoid resellers. These guys don't want to pay more than the console price so that they maximise their profits, and they have no need for extra games and gadgets. These bundles are the last bastions of stock - you won't be saving any money but if the included extras make sense to you it's one last shot at a day one pre-order.

The launch of the Nintendo Today app could give us some pre-order clues

The Nintendo Today app hit our phones after a recent non-hardware Direct, but it could well hold the keys to any potential Switch 2 pre-orders landing today. Let's assume for a second that I was right yesterday - Nintendo could be launching its own exclusive pre-orders via its site on April 2, with wider retailers going live on April 9.

Considering you need a Nintendo account to use the Today app, it could play a larger role in those early orders than I'd previously considered. Nintendo has previously announced that it's taken steps to ensure resellers are left out of the equation when its new handheld launches, after all.

There could well be some verification system tied to your account, which will be used on Nintendo's own store page to secure your pre-order. It's a stretch, and requires a few other eventualities to line up - but I'd still recommend downloading and signing into the app just in case.

Top Tip: Keep an eye on accessory brands

Accessory brands like Genki (mentioned earlier), Dbrand, Hori, and PowerA will all have new kit in the pipeline for Nintendo Switch 2 - and they all want their gadgets to be out for release day. It's well worth keeping a close eye on these peripherals over the course of the day, leaks can come from anywhere and it's often the smaller sites that will publish the more interesting information by accident.

If Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are set to go live today, for example, some accessory brands will want to be right there with them.

The Sentry figure was shown as part of Hasbro Pulse's April 1 Fan Stream, which revealed the next wave of Marvel Legends 6-inch action figures, including several based on the characters of Thunderbolts*. Along with Sentry, who will be sold in a two-pack alongside Wyatt Russell's US Agent, Hasbro also revealed a two-pack of Yelena Belova and Red Guardian in their Thunderbolts* costumes.

That said, we've seen Yelena, Red Guardian, and US Agent all over the trailers for Thunderbolts*, but Sentry himself has only been seen in fleeting flashes and silhouettes. And though some other merchandise has been unofficially leaked showing what Sentry might look like, the Marvel Legends figure reveal is the best official look yet at the character's movie suit.

It's important to note that Marvel Legends MCU figures are produced on a timeline that coincides with the production of the films they're based on, so this figure is most likely based on the concept art for the actual costume worn by Lewis Pullman in the film, meaning there are likely to be slight discrepancies between the toy's finer details and those of the onscreen costume. The specific image, seen above, is also a digital render showing what the figure will look like when it's fully manufactured.

It's definitely not unheard of for Marvel Legends toys and other merchandise to show off unrevealed aspects of MCU films ahead of their release, but this is a particularly exciting example of the figure line making a reveal of a major character whose full costume has yet to be showcased in a trailer.

The Marvel Legends MCU Thunderbolts* two-packs, including Sentry, will be available for pre-order soon.

Thunderbolts* releases on May 2. For more, see our guides on watching the Marvel movies in order and the Marvel timeline.

The video – shared through the Nintendo Today news app, but only to fans located in timezones where it's already April 2 – is barely seven seconds long. It hastily zooms in on the square "C" button people can't comprehend at all, and it offers no additional information. No context. Nintendo simply forces us to ogle the almighty C and its cryptic aura and then cheerfully announces "Today!" along with text indicating it's referring to the Switch 2 direct.

TODAY (Nintendo Today App) from r/NintendoSwitch2

Call me Crazy, Cuckoo, or Close-minded, but I don't feel like this teaser tells us literally anything about the C button other than what we already knew: it's a button stamped with the third letter of the English alphabet.

But those who live and snort Nintendo conspiracies are already cooking up some new theories as to what the C could mean – Community? Call? Cooking Mama? – and, honestly, some of them are convincing. Old rumors claimed there's a "Campus" software hub feature attached, though there's been no hard details on this since.

While enabling cursor mode for the Switch 2's apparent mouse, as one Reddit user suggests, would be interesting, and dispensing corn, as another surmises, would be helpful for my fiber intake, I'm intrigued by the fact that "C" could indicate a chat feature. One fan on Reddit thinks the twinkly little jingle Nintendo Today pairs with the C button sounds a lot like the tune Nintendo used for Wii U Chat, for example, and that doesn't seem like an impossible parallel.

But to know for sure, we'll have to wait for the Switch 2 Direct and C… I mean, see.

Former Nintendo marketing leads say the Wii U flopped so bad that getting third-party support on Switch was "really hard," but the Switch 2 marks a new era: "There's no more proving yourself."

CVS2 has been officially translated numerous times, but those translations have never included the game's Dreamcast version, which was both the original and arguably definitive home port. But now, a team of retro modders led by Derek Pascarella has released an expansive translation patch for the Dreamcast version, which goes above and beyond with piles of new and never-before-seen content.

"Firstly, no official Western localization ever saw the ~5,100 post-win quotes fully translated," Pascarella explains on Twitter. "Instead, we got about a seventh of the original text, but heavily watered down (to put it nicely)... UNTIL TODAY! Now, all of this fun dialogue is present and in English!"

On top of that, this patch brings in features from Capcom vs. SNK 2's PS2 version and a brand-new compilation of bonus content, including a variety of newly-translated developer interviews and an optional, 100% completed save file that you can download to your VMU.

You can get a full list of all the changes – or download the patch itself for use on your console or emulator – via Pascarella's GitHub page.

There are numerous ways to play Capcom vs. SNK 2 – including an official version on the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – so this patch isn't exactly saving a lost Japanese classic from utter obscurity in the English-speaking world. But this patch goes so far above and beyond that I think it's high time to plug in the ol' VMU once again.

Don't miss out on any of the best fighting games.

We already knew the bow and arrow could do backstabs – backshots, if you will – and this new trailer shows off just how powerful they are in Nightreign. Let your teammates get up close and personal with the bosses, and as soon as they've worn them down, you can shoot them in the back to stagger them before dashing in to drive an arrow straight into their heart for a devastating critical hit. Finally, a Legolas simulator.

Ironeye wields a skill that sees you fire off a huge arrow that pierces multiple foes and then unleashes an area of effect whirlwind in its wake to finish off any stragglers. If enemies decide not to simply walk up to you in a line and instead stand in a wide formation, you can use another attack that seems to spread multiple arrows in front of you to hit all enemies in an arc, so you have a lot of options with Ironeye. (As a reminder, any class can wield any weapon, too, though there's clearly a bow focus here.) That should make it easier to deal with Nightreign's wildly unpredictable random events.

As well as a regular ol' bow and arrow, we see Ironeye using flaming shots. I don't know what it is I love so much about regular weapons that are just on fire, but they sure do scratch an itch. This makes it look like you could be able to add other elemental effects, too.

All this reminds me of the ranger class in Dragon's Dogma, and that was always my favorite one. I was going to go all-out with a big sword in Nightreign, as is my preference in the Dark Souls games and Elden Ring itself, but this trailer definitely makes me want to give bows a proper go. Because sure, people have beaten Elden Ring with bows, but people have also beaten Elden Ring with dance pads, and those aren't very compelling weapons either. Previously, I only used a bow to chop off the dragon tail in Dark Souls. Maybe it's time for a change. Check out our Nightreign hands-on preview if you can't decide for yourself.

In the meantime, have a look at all the new games of 2025 so you can play something while you wait for Elden Ring Nightreign to come out at the end of May.

As documented by YouTube creator Etchy (below), the event in question took place in Platinum's Wi-Fi Plaza – the now defunct online feature which allowed you to join a room with other players, participate in minigames, and level up "tap toys," which were activated using the touch screen and produced different sound and visual effects. The devs at Game Freak seemingly had more ideas in mind for the Wi-Fi Plaza that weren't widely implemented, however, including "VIP" players.

Being granted VIP status would mean a few things for players. For one, when others interacted with them in the Wi-Fi Plaza, they'd see a special golden trainer card instead of the regular ol' blue and red ones, and others would know to look for them, too, because the news board would announce that a "very special guest has arrived." Otherwise, VIPs would immediately enter the plaza with a maximum-level tap toy – something which you otherwise had to (for some reason) grind to every time you entered the online hub.

Generally, VIP status sounds rather underwhelming, but that makes the exclusivity of it even more bizarre. Etchy has discovered that, despite there being basically no other mention of Wi-Fi Plaza VIPs on the internet, back in 2008, an event was held in Japan that gave players the chance to earn the status for themselves. This was a Pokemon Daisuki Club (a Japanese Pokemon fan club site) event, where the site's staff members appeared in the Wi-Fi Plaza as VIPs themselves. Speaking to them gave you unique passwords, which could be entered along with their trainer's name into the Daisuki Club website in order to enter players into a lottery.

The prize was, you guessed it, VIP status – a reward only offered to 20 lucky winners. Etchy also found an old Pokemon blog post explaining that players would, in addition, receive a "wonderful gift," but what this gift was seems to be information lost to time.

According to the YouTuber's research, no other official blog posts since mentioned the VIP feature, seemingly making this a wholly unique one-off timed event. It was only available for a very limited time, too – players had the chance of encountering the Daisuki Club staff members between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. for five days, between October 27 and October 31, 2008.

Notably, those are all weekdays, too, so players weren't even given the chance to take part on a day that they were likely to be off from work or school.

According to some archived Nintendo financial results, as of March 2010, Pokemon Platinum sold around 7.06 million copies worldwide. If we were to assume these sales accounted for all players ever (which for multiple reasons, like people buying pre-owned copies, isn't entirely accurate), that'd mean just 0.00028% of players ever unlocked the VIP feature.

It was certainly exclusive, but that makes the fact that it actually offered so little all the more baffling.

While you're here, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Pokemon games.

In a press release sent to GamesRadar+, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley said, "We are delighted that so many players are enjoying Atomfall," adding, "To have surpassed the 1 million players in such a short space of time speaks volumes for the creativity and dedication of the entire team here at Rebellion. Our size and stability mean that we can take risks to create something as different as Atomfall. Happily, that risk is paying off."

The game launched into early access for those who paid for the Deluxe Edition last Monday, March 24, with a proper launch arriving that Thursday, March 27. Plus, for players on Xbox and PC, the game arrived as a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass, which undoubtedly contributed to the large number of players heading into the post-apocalyptic lake district.

Atomfall is already an extremely British game, so naturally Rebellion released some very British stats to celebrate the occasion: "In total there have been over 3.7 million kills using the cricket bat, while over 4 million pasties and 300,000 cups of tea have been consumed."

Kingsley recently said that he doesn't understand how massive development teams keep organized: "How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it?"

For the Spartan Edition we're looking at $96.97 at Amazon, against its usual $125 price tag. That's 22% off a well-regarded translation of the beloved Halo franchise into board game form. For Halo fans, many might consider it one of the best board games, in fact. While the Recon Edition comes with far fewer pieces to play around with, there's also a tasty discount for Halo fans to enjoy, sitting at $53.93 on Amazon. That's against its $75 RRP, or an even more impressive 28% off, making it the cheapest price we've seen Recon going for.

For UK Halo fans, you can get the Spartan Edition for £55.09 at Amazon against the usual £60, which puts it at a far less impressive 8% discount. Sadly the Spartan Edition isn't on sale – it's still sitting at £102.58 over on Amazon.

Should you buy Halo: Flashpoint?

These are quickfire strategy games based around Mantic's Deadzone skirmish system that sees two or more players competing against one another in teams to complete mission objectives. I involves managing your squad's resources, rolling dice, and working with the cube-based map system to dominate the battlefield.

Cover, line-of-sight, and positioning mechanics all play a role in keeping the game nice and tactical, while the command dice add some randomness, and a bit of flavour and interest to unit abilities.

Both games are ostensibly the same, and both are considered great renditions of an iconic shooter. While the Halo: Flashpoint Recon Edition is a little more sparse, containing only eight Spartans along with the basic gubbins needed to play, the Spartan edition is a little more comprehensive than its sister version.

With Spartan Edition you get 16 Spartans and 4 Banished Elites, double the weapon cards, extra tokens, more player minis and cards, as well as reference cards. They've even thrown in more command dice and some extra environment pieces to place on the map.

For more, why not check out the best 2-player board games or if your strapped for cash and need some present ideas, why not check out our gifts for gamers guide?

The main cast of the upcoming show also includes This is Us star Milo Ventimiglia, Logan Browning, and Gotham's Erin Richards, as announced by the streamer this week.

Based on Coben's novel of the same name, published in 2023, the story follows an innocent father, David (Worthington), serving life in prison for the murder of his own son. When he receives evidence that his child may still be alive, he decides to break out of prison to find out the truth.

Lower will play Rachel Mills, David’s ex-sister-in-law and former decorated reporter who views this story as her opportunity to restore her journalistic career.

Coben's overall deal with Netflix is consistently delivering binge-watchable thriller shows on streaming, with titles like Missing You and particularly Fool Me Once proving incredibly successful with viewers. Fool Me Once, released in January 2024, seats now at number eight on the streamer's top 10 most-watched English language series of all time.

There are other adaptations on the way, with the next one set to be Run Away, based on the 2019 book of the same name. It was also revealed that Harlan Coben's new novel, Nobody's Fool, is actually a sequel to the hit Netflix adaptation of Fool Me Once, so you can run to the stores now if you want to know what happens next.

In the meantime, another adaptation of an earlier Harlan Coben novel, Just One Look, was quietly added to Netflix last month, and it was described as an "edge-of-your-seat" thriller.

For more, check out our list of the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to stream right now.

That's right, WickedWhims is officially available to download for inZOI – and no, it's not an April Fools' Day prank. TURBODRIVER, the mastermind behind what arguably stands as one of the most well-known Sims 4 mods ever, reveals as much in a recent online post. "It's happening," celebrates the creator, dropping a link to WickedWhims for inZOI. "Check out the first release of WickedWhims for inZOI, available now for free!"

As detailed on the mod's official website, WickedWhims ticks all the essential NSFW boxes, including "fully animated and interactive sex" longtime Sims 4 stans might be searching for: "Get on a bed, or on a sofa, or the floor, or anywhere you want to get freaky with anybody you want," reads the page. "Experience sex animations from a steadily growing number of creators." And, of course, it's all "fully controllable."

It certainly didn't take long – after all, inZOI only released a few days ago. As a Sims fan and life sim frequenter in general myself, though, I'm not surprised. Assistant director Joel Lee confirmed in a past Q&A about inZOI, the new game only "sort of" features sex, and players "have to assume that's what's happening" rather than seeing any explicit activity, much like how the "WooHoo" action and others work in The Sims 4.

inZOI dev says "highly inappropriate" bug that let you kill kids with your car has been patched out: "We are strengthening our internal review processes"

This FCC test report, which was made available on March 31 (and helpfully noted by a Famiboards user), describes a "game controller" with both Bluetooth and RFID support. Assuming Nintendo follows the tradition it's set with previous Pro Controllers, this'll be the Switch 2 equivalent.

Among the FCC's test items with the controller were "earphones" - specifically, the Sony MDR-EX255AP in-ear headphones, which are traditional earbuds with a proper 3.5mm headphone jack. Nintendo's been selling Pro Controllers for its consoles since the original Wii, and up until now none of these controllers have offered the 3.5mm headphone jacks that have been standard on similar Xbox and PlayStation gamepads. It seems that's finally about to change.

I was relieved, if not necessarily surprised, to see the Switch 2 console itself stick with a proper headphone jack. But I'd started give up hope that Nintendo would ever offer real headphone support on its Pro Controllers. I plug a very nice set of traditional headphones into my controller every time I sit down to play something on PS5 or Xbox Series X, and I'm so glad I (probably) won't have to jump through any extra hoops to have the same experience on Switch 2.

The Switch 2 Direct is set to offer a whole lot of new info, hopefully including the final details on Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders.

"As right now, the countries, it's crazy town. It is crazy town. And we are actually all trying to survive and figure out how to make it through this world," says star Danielle Brooks to GamesRadar+, referring to the current state of the world. "And I think if you can like escape, whether that be through gaming or watching a movie, take your escape. You know what I mean? Take a moment to like, breathe, and find some peace and laughter. So go see the movie!"

Helmer Hess, best known for his comedy works such as Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, adds that Minecraft creators Mojang Studios have wanted to "make a movie about Minecraft for a long time." Originally created by Markus Persson using the Java, the first public alpha build of the Minecraft game was released in May 2009, before receiving a full release in November 2011. Since then, the game has only grown in popularity and has since spun off other Minecraft games too.

But now, all of the stars have aligned, and with a great cast and creative team behind the film, A Minecraft Movie has finally been born. "So, we are kind of late to the game with this," adds Hess. "But it's just been amazing to do it on such a big scale with such amazing, talented actors."

Star Sebastian Hansen, who plays Henry – a teenage boy who fills the shoes of every kid who has may have their own troubles in the real world and have used the Minecraft game as an escape, agrees with Hess. "Minecraft is one of the most popular games," says Hansen. "And it is a very good sandbox game. So I think that, you know, every movie is basically a sandbox, because you have to write it, direct it, all of it. So this is definitely a good time."

However, Jack Black on the other hand, feels like you can "never know when the perfect timing is," but with "a little bit of luck and a lot of love, a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears," the team can only hope that A Minecraft Movie is well received by fans. "Let's see, and we'll find out."

A Minecraft Movie follows four humans, Henry (Hansen), his sister Natalie (Emma Myers), ex-gaming legend Garret the Garbage Man (Jason Momoa), and real estate agent Dawn (Brooks), who get pulled into a strange cubic world where their only chance of survival falls down to in-game character Steve (Black).

A Minecraft Movie hits screens on April 4. For more, check out our list of the best video game movies, or keep up with upcoming video game movies and upcoming movies heading your way.

Chengran Chai, Executive Producer at Riot Games, has taken the opportunity to note the company's decision to move toward more original artwork, based on early feedback. "We’ve been incredibly humbled by the excitement and interest from players around the world" says Chai.

When speaking of fans' calls for more original artwork and a "more refined UI" Chai makes it clear that those suggestions have seen the company "revisiting [...] design decisions and conducting more playtests" for the upcoming TCG.

In case you're wondering what you can expect from Riftbound: League of Legends Trading Card Game, this is a TCG that can be played in 1v1 modes, or multiplayer formats such as 2v2 matches and free-for-all – it wouldn't be a League of Legends Trading Card Game if it didn't allow the latter.

The first set to launch will be Riftbound: Origins. It comes with 300 different card designs, and will also feature pre-constructed decks built around Viktor, Jinx, and Lee Sin. The ready-to-play Champion Decks will contain a variety of card types, such as units, legends, champions, spells, gear, runes, and battlegrounds (56 cards in total).

Alternatively, the Proving Grounds boxed set will come with starter decks – set to feature Lux, Annie, Master Yi, and Garen – which should be a good way for 2-4 players to get into the game. 14-card booster packs will also be available at launch, which will include a variety of cards of differing rarities.

The Riftbound: League of Legends Trading Card Game is set to launch in China come Summer 2025, while English speaking countries such as the UK and US will sadly have to wait until October.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best board games, or Magic fans might want to have a ook at some MTG deals. Then again, if you're looking for something for summers outside maybe its time to get your Nerf on.

"There are moments in every Resident Evil game where you find yourself standing in the mouth of a dark passageway. One shot in the gun is left," he explained during Sony's presentation at CinemaCon 2025 (per Deadline). "You know that something horrible is waiting for you in that darkness, that awful moment where you have to will yourself.

"That's something that every Resident Evil game has perfected and has kept me and millions of other players returning to the series for decades. My movie will be built in the spirit of those games and follows one central protagonist from point A to point B, as they descend deeper into hell."

While that certainly sounds like a Resident Evil flick, we're now wondering how Cregger is going to differentiate it from adaptations we've seen before. Paul W.S. Anderson's team-centric Resident Evil (2002) and its sequels weren't all that faithful to Capcom's source material, with their original characters, Alice in Wonderland references, and emphasis on the biblical and explosive action rather than dread-inducing biopunk. But Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021), while poorly received, drew heavily from the first two games.

Will Cregger's outing fall somewhere between the two? We'll have to wait and see, because all we know about the movie so far is that Euphoria's Austin Abrams is set to star. Best known for helming Barbarian, Cregger just wrapped filming on Weapons, a new horror starring Abrams, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Julia Garner, and Josh Brolin that explores "police corruption, generational trauma, witchcraft, blood rituals, and religious abuse in a small Florida community".

Resident Evil releases on September 18, 2026. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.

Nintendo tweets that April 3 and 4 will each feature a Treehouse with "hands-on gameplay of Nintendo Switch 2 games," so we'll get a proper look at what's coming to the console. Each Treehouse will start at 7 a.m. PT, or 9 a.m. ET, and 2 p.m. GMT – remember to set your alarm nice and early if you live on the West Coast.

The April 3 Treehouse will be a whopping four hours long. April 4's Treehouse will be three hours long, so that's a total of seven hours of hands-on gameplay. Though, the length of these streams aren't new for Nintendo – actually, they've been over eight hours long in the past. And they usually feature multiple groups of people playing a bunch of different games, so there should be something for everyone.

With seven hours of gameplay in total, we're spoilt for choice thinking of what could be shown. Pokemon Legends Z-A seems like a no-brainer, as that's been featuring heavily in Nintendo's marketing recently. We did see the game during the Direct last week though, so maybe not.

Mario Kart 9 will also almost certainly make an appearance, as that's likely to be a Switch 2 launch title. I'd love to see a new Smash Bros. or some Metroid, and I'm going to cross my fingers and pray we also get some Hollow Knight: Silksong gameplay.

The Switch 2 Direct that's coming tomorrow, April 2, seems small in comparison now, as that's scheduled to be just an hour long. We expect that stream will focus more on the console itself, and it should hopefully show off how the Joy-Con can actually turn into a computer mouse. We may also finally learn what the mysterious C button does.

In the meantime, check out our list of the best Switch games. I wonder if any of them will be getting sequels.

"I will say, I can’t say anything about it, obviously. But I am very excited and slightly terrified to be back because all I can do is really screw up a legacy that we have. I could really suck, and so that’s my fear," Lillard told the crowd at 90s Con (via People).

Lillard, a pop culture icon for the last 30-plus years, starred as Stu Macher in Wes Craven's Scream, the teen slasher that changed the horror genre (and pop culture as a whole) forever. Stu was the original Ghostface alongside Skeet Ulrich's Billy Loomis. While it was implied that his character was killed in the first film...it was never actually confirmed.

If we're getting logistical here, having a TV fall on you from a relatively low height isn't enough to kill you...but we're not scientists. Anyway, it makes sense for Stu Macher to come out of hiding after all these years to torture Sidney Prescott again – and we're here for it.

Continued Lillard: "My fear is that I come back and sort of punish something that I could never have touched and been just fine. I hope I don’t f it up for everyone."

Scream 7 hits theaters on February 27, 2026. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, skip ahead to our complete list of movie release dates.

In a recent post on the official Monster Hunter website, Tokuda outlines a couple of title updates planned for Wilds, including the first, coming on April 4, and the second, set to drop sometime this summer. The director also looks toward the more distant future, detailing changes to monsters and the game's overall balance, particularly regarding weapons, "in response to some of the feedback after launch."

Capcom is "planning to make various adjustments to the game," as Tokuda puts it, that "will be implemented gradually with each upcoming title update in order to make the game more enjoyable for everyone for a longer period of time." The lead then cites the Hammer, which arguably already stands as one of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons in many a fan's heart, as a weapon with "upward adjustments" underway.

"For example," writes Tokuda, "we are currently carefully considering upward adjustments for the Hammer, and then looking at other overall weapon balance adjustments with a goal to implement them either in the end of May update or the second title update in summer." Nerfs are also in the works: "Some unintentionally overpowered things will be adjusted downward, but we will also be adjusting other parts upward, making for a generally balanced update."

Some balance changes will arrive sooner than others, including Corrupted Mantle nerfs and buffs to other Mantles, "balancing the line-up of Mantles to suit everyone's style of play." It's a lot to look forward to, but it's unsurprising to see just how much Capcom has in store for what our own Monster Hunter Wilds review dubs "the new peak of the series" and an "early contender for game of the year."

After you finish playing one of the best Monster Hunter games to date, here are some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on.

Paul Mescal (Gladiator 2) will be playing Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn (Fantastic Four) will portray George Harrison, Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) will be Ringo Starr, and Harris Dickinson (Babygirl) completes the group as John Lennon. It was previously reported that the four stars were in talks to join this project, with the final confirmation arriving during the CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week.

Officially titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, each movie will focus on one of the band members, with the official logline saying that "each man has his own story, but together they are legendary."

All four films are arriving in cinemas in April 2028, but it is unclear at this point whether that means a weekly release or other sort of release strategy. Mendes claimed at CinemaCon that this will be the "first binge-able theatrical experience", so it sounds it's going to be an innovative and, frankly, wild experiment.

"We need big cinematic events to get people out of the house," Mendes told the audience at the Las Vegas event (via Variety).

The filmmaker explained that in order to tell the story of "the greatest band in history" he needed something longer than one movie and bigger than a TV series. Through four different perspectives, Mendes will show the band's incredible journey from Liverpool to the world stage. "It's a chance to understand them more deeply," he said.

After winning an Academy Award for American Beauty and helming one of the best James Bond movies ever, Mendes is taking on what is probably the most ambitious project of his movie career. Luckily, he has four of the most promising talents in today's Hollywood, and the music rights for all Beatles songs. What can go wrong?

The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event will arrive in cinemas in April 2028. For more, check out our list of all upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.

This comes just months after settling a separate defamation lawsuit against game database Twin Galaxies, which previously stripped its database of Mitchell's old scores and former records in the likes of Donkey Kong and Pac Man as it investigated allegations that his best Donkey Kong score wasn't achieved on original, unmodified hardware. However, in this defamation lawsuit against Jobst, "Mr Mitchell does not complain that Mr Jobst called him a cheat," but rather that a video posted by Jobst allegedly implied that Mitchell "was a major contributing factor" in the "decision to commit suicide" by content creator Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, according to judge Ken Barlow.

As reported by PC Gamer, in the video in question, Jobst alleged that after Mitchell filed a lawsuit against Smith (who previously made multiple videos about Mitchell, some of which accused him of cheating), Smith had to pay a significant sum of money to Mitchell. This, Jobst alleged, added to existing negative circumstances for Smith, who later took his own life.

In the defamation case against Jobst, Mitchell alleged that "the offending words carried five defamatory imputations": that Smith was required to pay a "large amount of money to settle Mr Mitchell’s defamation claim against him, which caused Apollo Legend to go into considerable debt and to take on extra work to survive," that this was "a major contributing factor in Apollo Legend's decision to take his own life," that "Mitchell had hounded Apollo Legend to death," that Mitchell was "the main cause, or alternatively a cause" and that his "conduct was a contributing factor" in Smith's decision to take his life.

In the latest court ruling, the judge clarifies that the settlement of this previous lawsuit against Smith resulted in an agreement that "did not require Apollo Legend to pay any money to Mr Mitchell unless he breached his non-publication obligations," those being to remove six of his videos, assign the copyright to Mitchell, and not to post anything about Mitchell, or about his scores, family, any anyone associated with him without his consent.

Jobst has been ordered to pay AU$300,000 in damages (and AU$34,668.50 in interest), as well as AU$50,000 in aggravated damages (and AU$5,778.08 in interest). It's worth noting that the added interest is "subject to either party seeking a different order as to interest, upon delivery of this judgment or by filing and serving a written submission within 14 days."

On Twitter, Mitchell has shared his thanks to "everyone who supported me," while Jobst writes: "I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony. From that point on unfortunately there was really nothing that could have saved me. I will now obviously consider my options."

"The scripts, I've gotta say, in typical Boys fashion, I did not see… I never see it coming with this show," Starr said in a recent interview with Collider.

"Every time I think I know what's gonna happen, something else happens, so this was no exception, these last scripts. I'm six deep, I haven't seen the penultimate and finale yet, but I know what happens and I think fans are gonna be either surprised or shocked, depending on their nervous system. But very, very entertained."

He added, "It's strange because as much as I love the show, I don't like seeing things outstay their welcome, so I'm kind of glad we're finishing at [season] 5, that's it. I love the show and the characters, so it's a bittersweet moment."

Showrunner Eric Kripke recently revealed that the show's final season is "halfway through shooting". As cameras started rolling back in November, that means we can expect the series to wrap in the next couple of months.

Alongside returning actors like Starr, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, and Jensen Ackles, season 5 will also see Ackles' Supernatural co-stars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins join the cast.

The Boys season 5 is set to arrive sometime in 2026. While we wait, check out our guide to the other best shows on Amazon Prime Video to add to your watchlist.

There have been a lot of different interpretations of Silent Hill at this point, but – barring Ascension and The Short Message – they've all had one thing in common: actually taking place in Silent Hill, Maine (the titular Book of Memories was sent from Silent Hill, I'm counting it). But Silent Hill f is breaking that trend; this time around it's taking place in 1960s Japan in a town called Ebisugaoka (which is based on a town that can be just as spooky, according to the locals).

And of course, there's another layer to Silent Hill; at some point or another, the protagonist will wander into the Otherworld. This is a part of Silent Hill that can reflect the psyche of whoever inhabits it (most famously it's a rusty and bloody mess in the original game). This time around, the Otherworld takes place in a place called 'The Dark Shrine,' we didn't get to see much of it in the recent trailer, although it was home to a horrific doll monster.

Konami made a new post on the Silent Hill Twitter account showing off The Dark Shrine in all its glory. While this isn't exactly a big deal, Silent Hill f's director, Al Yang, chimed in with some more details about the new Otherworld. In a post on Twitter, Yang said, "One of the big challenges for us on SILENT HILL f was to create an interesting Otherworld for our new setting." Afterwards, Yang dug a little deeper into the philosophy behind the design, saying that NeoBards wanted to find "that blend of new and nostalgic."

Of course, details on just what Silent Hill f has in store are still being held close to Konami's chest. But considering the game has already been rated by the ESRB and CERO (making it the first game in the series to be rated 18+ in Japan), it's likely we'll find out more in the near future.

In other Silent Hill news, series artist and Pyramid Head creator Masahiro Ito is getting frustrated with – as he puts it – "fucking ridiculous headcanons."

In an interview with PCGamesN, senior community manager Jake Blunt talks about some of the thinking behind the upcoming game. The survival genre is a saturated one, even Player Unknown is getting in on it with Prologue: Go Wayback, but was all the competition and genre fatigue a concern for the developers?

"100%," Blunt says. "It was always top-of-mind. As soon as the team was like, 'survival game,' everyone was like, 'hm, is this going to be Valheim with party hats?' It was a case of going, 'okay, cool, we're going to have to do a lot more here to really elevate ourselves,' so there's always been a pressure not just externally, but internally. We want to make something that really stands up on its own that leans very heavily into RuneScape lore, but is also very much a survival game."

Rather than chopping trees down with an axe, you'll be using magical powers to summon an axe to do the work for you. I've recently been replaying Skyrim for the millionth time and am quite enjoying the bound weapons in the conjuration skill tree, so it's cool to see something like that come to a survival game.

"We’re hoping that it isn’t just us being like, 'it's Valheim, but…' [Dragonwilds] is unique in several different ways that really sets it apart from the others. There's always that pressure of, 'oh this is a very competitive [genre],' but we're not trying to bring other survival games down and be like, 'we’re better than that.' We want to embrace the fact that we have things that make us unique, rather than that we're doing something better than something that already exists."

Even if you're not a fan of the survival genre itself, the RuneScape coat of paint will likely be enough to sway a lot of you and give it a go. An IP trying its hat at a new genre is a surefire way to turn people into fans of either. I never played a MOBA until Pokemon Unite, and I haven't played RuneScape since I was 11, but I'd play this.

"We’re very lucky to have our narrative director Mod Raven, who has over a decade of experience working on RuneScape," Blunt says. "When he left RuneScape to work on other projects [in 2022], when this was announced internally, he came back. He's become the foundation and the bedrock of what RuneScape is, so that's helped us be reverent and respectful of both sides of the same coin. It’s been awesome."

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is launching in early access sometime this spring, so keep an eye out for it. It's set in the world of Gielinor, so if you're a fan of the game you should give it a go.

In the meantime, check out all the upcoming new games of 2025 to see what else you should play.

Karate Kid: Legends just released a new trailer featuring some intense fights with Jackie Chan's Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, as well as a lot of Karate Kid nostalgia.

Ahead of the film's release next month, the new footage teases the film with a special focus on Li Fong (played by Ben Wang), the lead teenager who will learn to fight to defend himself against bullies. "Let's make a karate kid," says LaRusso as he joins forces with Mr. Han. At the end of the trailer, which you can see above, Li is described as "the Chinese Peter Parker", and we love that for him.

We already got a first trailer for Karate Kid: Legends back in December 2024, which showed Mr. Han paying a visit to Daniel LaRusso to enlist his help in training Li, teaching him the Miyagi ways to become the next Karate Kid.

Karate Kid: Legends brings two different Karate Kid worlds together, with Macchio reprising his character from the original movies and the Netflix sequel, and Chan returning for the first time since the 2010 remake. As a new student is in trouble, both martial arts masters join forces to honor the legacy of Mr. Miyagi.

The cast also includes Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley and Ming-Na Wen, with Jonathan Entwistle directing the film from a screenplay by Rob Lieber.

With Cobra Kai season 6 ending last February, we know fans are already starving for more adventures in the franchise. And in case you're wondering how Karate Kid: Legends fits into the Cobra Kai timeline, the events of the new movie take place three years after the ending of Cobra Kai.

The Netflix show is over, but Ralph Macchio wouldn't mind doing a movie in a few years if the upcoming movie is a success. "Listen, I said it was the end for me when I got done with the last 1980s Karate Kid movie. So I will say never say never. If Karate Kid: Legends does well, I would love to see a Cobra Kai movie in two or three years" he said recently.

Karate Kid: Legends is set to hit theaters on May 30, 2025. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip through our list of movie release dates.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed below, we don't get the clearest sense of what's going on – and that's what makes it especially terrifying. A new foster child comes to live at a troubled woman's (Sally Hawkins) home – but things are, uh, not what they seem.

We repeatedly cut to camcorder footage of a reanimated corpse, with Hawkins telling someone that the spirit stays in the body three months after death – so there's plenty of time to bring her back. There's also quite a bit of blood, a lot of whispering, way too many vessels for water (it's a possession movie so I feel like a drowning scene is nigh), and a lot of forlorn children looking quite upset. Needless to say, I'll be seated.

The story follows a brother (Billy Barratt) and sister (Sora Wong) who uncover a horrifying ritual in their foster mother’s (Hawkins) home. In the trailer, we see Hawkins cutting the hair off a child's corpse, seemingly to be used in said ritual to bring her back from the dead.

We're going to go out on a limb and say, judging by the trailer, that the whole resurrecting her from the dead thing doesn't go very well and the person who comes back isn't so much a person as it is some evil thing (a la Stephen King's Pet Sematary). Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Liam Damons, and Jonah Wren Phillips also star.

The Philippou brothers, who got their start on YouTube under the channel name RackaRacka, released the ultra-scary Talk to Me – you know, the horror movie about the dead hand that possesses people in 2023. The film earned $92 million against a budget of just $4 million. A sequel to Talk to Me is on the way, though it does not yet have a release date.

Bring Her Back hits theaters on May 29. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.

In a tweet posted today, 24 hours before the Direct, Nintendo reminds everyone about its imminent plans to break the internet, saying: "Join us tomorrow, April 2nd, at 6 a.m. PT for a closer look at Nintendo Switch 2! The Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025 livestream will be approximately 60 minutes long."

Previously, we didn't have any confirmation of how long the presentation would run for, but needless to say, this is a chunky one. For what it's worth, the January 2017 Nintendo Switch presentation was also around one hour long – this included details about the console itself (including its release date and price), as well as information about a number of games coming to it, including Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Odyssey.

Nintendo hasn't actually confirmed exactly what it's going to show in the Switch 2 Direct, although I'm sure most fans will have their fingers crossed for a similar mix of both hardware details and demonstrations, as well as some new software. The console's reveal trailer already appeared to tease a new Mario Kart game, so who knows, perhaps that'll make an appearance?

For now, we'll just have to wait and see, but with such a lengthy runtime, it sounds like we'll be given plenty to be excited about. If you want to catch all the news live, make sure to tune in tomorrow (April 2) at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST.

Former Nintendo marketing leads say the Wii U flopped so bad that getting third-party support on Switch was "really hard," but the Switch 2 marks a new era: "There's no more proving yourself."

2016's Doom reboot and its sequel, Doom Eternal are well-known for having some of the best FPS campaigns in recent memory, but each of them also came with a multiplayer mode that wasn't quite as beloved. Doom's multiplayer was a pretty standard deathmatch arena shooter, while Eternal took a unique approach with Battle Mode, where two players would take the role of demons and battle someone else as Doomguy.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Doom boss Hugo Martin said that the decision to not include a multiplayer component was made "right from the beginning." He explained that the team "made the decision early to just focus all of our energy on trying to make the best campaign we could." Martin elaborated, saying, "with Eternal, we wanted to put mechs in the game. There were things we wanted to do with Eternal." Martin added that with "the scope of the project, you start spreading out resources to make a multiplayer component."

While some people may wonder why the team couldn't just pop a multiplayer mode in and call it a day, Martin explains, "it's live service… you can't just do a little multiplayer. You've gotta go -- fans' expectation is [that] you go all the way." He said, "It would definitely come at the expense of the single-player aspects." While it may be disappointing to certain players that multiplayer isn't in the new Doom, Martin admitted, "It felt good to just focus [on] Doom as a single-player experience and not try to turn it into a live service game."

This interview was conducted following a hands-on preview of Doom: The Dark Ages. GamesRadar+'s Oscar Taylor-Kent said, "What does come as a surprise is just how different Doom: The Dark Ages feels from what I'd expect from Doom, while still feeling extremely Doom."

While promoting his new crime series Mobland, the actor appeared as a guest on The Discourse Podcast, where host Mike DeAngelo asked why Hardy's Eddie Brock never met Peter Parker on screen on behalf of his Marvel-loving kids.

"I don't know how to answer that question. We got close," Hardy replied. "We got as close as I could possibly imagine getting, apart from doing a film together, which I would have loved to have done because that just means so much fun."

He seemingly went on to confirm why we never saw the webslinger in the Venom flicks, replying to DeAngelo's suggestion that it was studio politics with: "For all the reasons that you explained ultimately in there."

Comic book fans thought we might actually get a Spidey/Venom flick following the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. In its mid-credits scene, Eddie is seen quizzing Venom on his knowledge of other universes when a bright light fills their hotel room and they're suddenly transported to an alternate suite. In it, a TV is playing a Daily Bugle broadcast, in which J.K. Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson reveals Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

Venom: The Last Dance's opener backtracked quickly, though, as Eddie and Venom are forced back to Earth-688 due to the correction of Doctor Strange's botched spell.

"We were given a set of boundaries, and we were just really privileged to be able to play with a much-beloved IP like Venom in a way that we were allowed to play," Hardy continued. "In that [regard], we did what we could and what we loved doing. We poured all of ourselves into it within the remits of what we were allowed to do with him. And so the enjoyment of the work outweighed the limits of our possibilities with him because we just focused on what we were allowed to do. And we loved doing it."

For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

Speaking in a recent interview with GamesRadar+ on the new game, Dumont explains that Ubisoft wanted to try some things differently "from the outset" with Shadows – including its introduction of the unique dual protagonist system with Naoe and Yasuke. "Those are things we started doing four years ago, and we didn't change our focus," describes the creative director. "These [come from] looking at how Assassin's Creed is played."

Dumont continues: "Usually we want to make some changes, or try different things so our players get something new – and they feel it's not just the setting, but we're improving the formula or gameplay aspects." According to the lead, this all boils down to the "natural progression" of Assassin's Creed. Featuring both Naoe and Yasuke rather than just one or the other is "really cool for renewing the experience" for longtime fans.

"If you have a clear favorite, that's awesome," says Dumont. "But offering [two protagonists] even just as a pacebreaker, or you want to try something else, or for replay value? I think that's a cool thing Shadows does better than what we've done in the past in Assassin's Creed." This checks out – after all, our own Assassin's Creed Shadows review praises the action RPG for how its "two protagonists provide the best of both worlds for Assassin's Creed fans."

The dual protagonist system isn't the only new feature to make its way into the Assassin's Creed series, either. Dumont also references the clue-driven exploration changes, along with Shadows' larger focus on stealth, as examples. As a longtime fan of the games myself, I'm personally most excited about its inclusion of things like the so-called "Canon Mode" that aims to offer a more linear story-driven experience for fans to play through.

Hungry for more? Here are some of the best Assassin's Creed games you can give a go after Shadows.

"There was a lot of my inner child in there, and it's that sense of play and that sense of creative freedom that I think has guided me since I was a kid, you know, and continues to this day when I'm at my best," says Black exclusively to GamesRadar+. "Think it's important to hold on to that when you can."

Brooks, who in the movie plays real-world character Dawn, new to the Minecraft world, feels the same way. "100%, I let my inner child lead this movie. I let her speak for me, improv for me, laugh for me, run for me," adds Brooks. "It was a lot of fun getting to connect to her, especially because I've been playing so many, like, serious roles lately."

Although the movie is rated PG and is certainly targeted towards kids and die-hard Minecraft fans, just like all of the best video game movies, the film really caters to all ages. This was something that was very important to director Jared Hess, who first got into the Minecraft game by playing it with his children. Hess adds that because of this, being in touch with your inner child was "critical" for the team.

"Everybody involved in making the film, we’re all big kids at heart, and so we really wanted to experience everything through the eyes of a kid," said Hess. "And as we kind of picked our favorite elements of the game and brought them into this story for the big screen. That's just something that we held onto through the whole process."

A Minecraft Movie follows four regular world humans, teenager Henry (Sebastian Hansen), his sister Natalie (Emma Myers), local business owner and ex-gaming legend Garret the Garbage Man (Jason Momoa), and animal-loving real estate agent Dawn (Brooks), who get pulled into a strange cubic world known as the Overworld. However, the four soon realize that their only chance of survival falls down to in-game character Steve (Black) – yep, the same Steve from the beloved Minecraft game.

A Minecraft Movie hits screens on April 4. For more, keep up with upcoming video game movies and upcoming movies heading your way.

"I’m making a comeback," Momoa teased during an appearance on TODAY.

"Well, I’m not sure if I’m going to get in trouble or not, but it’s the same thing like Game of Thrones, you know what I mean?" he added. "If you didn’t read the books, it’s not my fault, right? Yeah, there’s going to be… I’m going to be coming back."

Duncan Idaho was the swordmaster for House Atreides and a mentor to Paul (Timothée Chalamet), who becomes the Atreides' ambassador to the Fremen after they move to Arrakis. He died during the events of the first Dune movie after he sacrificed himself to save Paul and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and allow them to escape from the Emperor's Sardaukar troops.

In the books, however, death doesn't quite spell the end for Duncan. In Frank Herbert's sequel novel Dune Messiah, he's resurrected as a ghola, which is essentially a clone made from the cells of a corpse, and gifted to Paul by the Tleilaxu, a sect in the Dune universe who we have yet to meet in the movies.

Dune 3 doesn't have a release date yet, but the movie is due to start filming this summer. Next up for Momoa, though, is some slightly fare: A Minecraft Movie. He plays Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison, a human who gets stuck in the cubic world of the hit video game. He stars alongside Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, and Danielle Brooks.

A Minecraft Movie arrives in theaters on April 4. In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to the other upcoming video game movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.

"So there's a similar dynamic in this scene that I really like from Aunt May and Peter that I really like in The Amazing Spider-Man movie," Le revealed before sharing that he asked the show's writer Jessica Sluys if he could write the dialogue between Jinwoo and his mom in the English dub.

@aleksminle

♬ original sound - Aleks Le

"It's a moment that hits really close to home to me, and I had a lot of ideas and I knew what words were going to emotionally kill me and destroy me inside," he revealed. "So I had the honor of writing the dialogue for this scene, and of course everything is going to be accurate and within the translation of the Japanese and Korean text, but it also had a lot of little touches that I wanted to put in there."

Le gave some examples of what he changed, including his mom calling him "sweet boy" and "baby" as well as bringing in some of his personal experience to the words of affirmation that she gives him. "When I heard Colleen's [Clinkenbeard, Park Kyung-Hye's English voice actor] voice in that scene saying those words for the very first time, I genuinely started bawling and breaking down in tears," Le added.

Solo Leveling season 2 has now come to an end, but there's a whole bunch of new anime still on the way this year. For more, you can also check out our guides to the best anime and the best anime on Netflix.

In an interview with AV Watch (translated by Genki), Yoshida says: "Up until now, PlayStation's DNA has been driven by values ​​such as 'cutting-edge graphics' that have continued since Kutaragi-san's time. Users have also expected that from PlayStation games."

You may not think it now, but when Crash Bandicoot first released on the PS1 it was a revelation. Naughty Dog used "$100,000 SGIs instead of $3,000 PCs" to make the game according to one developer, and the result was colorful, expressive characters that were well ahead of their time.

Even now, games like God of War Ragnarok pushes boundaries with its one-shot camera, and Horizon Zero Dawn is still perhaps the best-looking game I've ever played. Graphics have always been at the heart of the PlayStation, "However, it's about time we have to reconsider that," Yoshida says.

"Of course, I think it's necessary to provide the very best (in terms of graphics quality) to those who want it. But, in order to continue to be popular with users in a broad sense, we naturally have to change our way of thinking."

Making games with photorealistic graphics takes a lot of time and money. It's why so many triple-A games are taking half a decade or more to develop. Stylized graphics still look great, and best of all, they're timeless. Crash Bandicoot still looks old, sure, but it doesn't look as old as Metal Gear Solid or GoldenEye 007 or GTA 3.

Just look at Astro Bot if you want an example of a success story where you couldn't see the pores on someone's face. It sold over 1.5 million copies in just two months and 37% of those players hadn't bought a first-party PlayStation game in two years. They were enticed by the cute little robots, not Spider-Man and his web slinging. More games like Astro Bot, please.

In the meantime, check out all the upcoming video game release dates of 2025 and see if there's anything you're looking forward to.

Capcom confirmed on the Monster Hunter Twitter account that it has released a special item pack for Monster Hunter Wilds players to celebrate 10 million sales. The pack includes a selection of common items, as well as some upgrade materials and eggs. It includes 30 Mega Potions, 20 Lifepowder, and 20 Mega Barrel Bombs, which are all great items to have, to be fair, but the real highlight of this pack is the final two items.

In the special item pack, you get 10 Hard Armor Spheres, which give you a whopping 1,000 points each toward upgrading your armor pieces. Plus, you get 10 Silver Eggs, which sell in the in-game shop for 10,000 Zenny each (so keeping roughly in line with egg prices in the US currently). Both of these are extremely useful items to have, especially if you're someone who likes to craft tons of armor.

You can get these items by going to the start menu and selecting 'Login Bonus,' and alongside your regular bonus of a Lucky Voucher, you'll have the items waiting for you. However, this is only available from now until Sunday, April 13, at 11:59pm / 7:59pm / 4:59pm, so you'll need to log into Monster Hunter Wilds before then to take advantage.

After you blast through Title Update 1 and go back to being upset that Monster Hunter Wilds doesn't have endless amounts of content (I can relate), it may be worth checking out our list of the best RPG games to pass the time until the Lagiacrus arrives in the summer.

Over at Amazon, I spotted the Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter going for just $141.37 at Amazon, against its usual $164.99. That's $23.62 saved, or 14% off one of our favorite Lego Icons designs that'll look absolutely stunning mounted in a display case.

As for UK folk, you can expect to find the Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter cheapest right now at Very. That's £149.99 for a great Lego set that can reach up to £200 in some online shops. Not a bad discount on what has a shot at the crown as one of the best Lego sets.

Should you buy the Lego Icons Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter?

In our Lego Icons Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter review, this thing scored a 4.5 star rating thanks to its fancy moving wings, unique design, and lack of stickers. The latter means all the greebles are actual printed pieces rather than boring 2D detailing. And it really looks magnificent with those wings splayed out. With a translucent cockpit, you can even see the minifigures sitting in the pilot seat.

Speaking of which, there are a heap of minis coming along with the Ornothopter, too: Paul Atreides, Lady Jessica, Gurney Halleck, Chani, Leto Atreides, Liet Kynes, Duncan Idaho, and even the longboi Baron Harkonnen in his hilarious trailing robe.

He most certainly won't fit in the cockpit, but does he even need to fly? The man's almost always taking a bath anyway.

For more discounts, be sure to check out the latest the best board games, or for some last-minute present ideas for your gamer Mom, why not drop by our gifts for gamers guide? Maybe some best Lego Star Wars sets are piquing your interest on the leadup to May 4.

"Like all good things in life, you may have to wait a little while for him to make his appearance," the filmmaker teased during Sony's presentation at CinemaCon 2025.

Just a few months back, fans became convinced Murphy had a cameo in 28 Years Later, which picks up almost three decades after the Rage Virus destroyed London and beyond, after an infected man who closely resembled him was glimpsed in the first trailer. It was later revealed, however, that said man was actually art dealer-turned-actor Angus Neill, and that Murphy's apocalypse survivor Jim was still alive and would feature in a follow-up. Details of his return remain firmly under wraps.

"I still love an apocalypse, British-style. I still love the infected. And I still love blowing shit up," Boyle added from the event, as he went on to reveal that he's still trying to sort financing for his planned trilogy capper. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he then encouraged people to go support 28 Years Later, and already-filmed second installment 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, in cinemas.

Written by Alex Garland, who penned the original back in 2002, the new flick is set to follow Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Isla (Jodie Comer), and their son Spike (Alfie Williams) as they're forced to leave the safety of their island to carry out a mission on the mainland. There, they "discover secrets, wonders and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well," reads the official synopsis.

The Bone Temple's cast and plot are mysteries for now, but we do know that it was directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels). "While it's very much informed by 28 Days Later, the script for The Bone Temple is very different," she told the CinemaCon crowd. "I was able to let my freak flag fly."

28 Years Later releases on June 20. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, or our guide to some of the other upcoming horror movies heading our way.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, will hit US screens on October 29. This means that fans in the US will only have to wait just over one month to see the film after it premieres in Japan on September 19. The news was confirmed by Sony Pictures at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, as reported by CrunchyRoll. Sony has acquired worldwide theatrical rights to the movie, and will bring the anime adaptation to more than 80+ countries from September 24, 2025.

Sony then revealed the news to the world via Twitter, alongside a new bloody poster featuring the Chainsaw Man himself wielding his bladed arms. Check out the post below.

The movie serves as a sequel to the highly popular 2022 anime TV show Chainsaw Man, which is in turn adapted from the manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The show follows a teenage boy named Denji who is forced to harvest devil corpses for the Chainsaw Devil Pochita. However, one day Denji is killed himself, but before he passes to the other side, he makes a deal with Pochita to be revived as a man with the devil’s heart known as Chainsaw Man.

The Chainsaw Man Movie seems to pick up from where season 1 leaves off and sees Denji now happily part of the Special Division 4's devil hunters and dating the woman of his dreams Makima. However, things take a turn after Denji meets local café worker named Reze (hence the Reze Arc).

The film welcomes back some of the original Chainsaw Man crew, such as director Tatsuya Yoshihara, who previously directed the fourth and tenth episodes of the series, and writer Hiroshi Seko. Original character designer Kazutaka Sugiyama is also back on board.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc hits US cinemas on October 29, 2025. For more, check out our list of the best anime, or keep up with new anime heading your way this year.

The latest Xbox handheld nod and wink takes the form of a trailer featuring OMNI - Asus' adorable mascot. In the clip, the little red hoodie wearing robot uses a machine to supposedly upgrade themselves with "marathon stamina, more capacity, faster speed, and fresh look." But, a little mishap leads to a ROG Ally and Raikiri Pro controller joining them in a fusion pod, resulting in some sort of mysterious hybrid.

I appreciate this weird little homage to The Fly, but there isn't much in the trailer that solidly points toward an Xbox-flavored Asus ROG Ally. Even the Raikiri Pro controller is missing its central home button in a move that could be a deliberate easter egg. The only real reason I know think this best gaming handheld contender could be console-themed is thanks to Xbox itself replying to the teaser with a side-eye monkey meme.

Is an Xbox handheld worth getting excited about?

I figured I'd be more hyped for an Xbox handheld after watching what is likely a teaser trailer for the device. Yet, I'm not even more convinced that we'll end up with effectively a successor to the Asus ROG Ally X with subtle splashes of console functionality. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see another portable PC powerhouse enter the fold, but I am slightly worried that Microsoft's involvement will be somewhat limited.

There's something about including a slightly modified Raikiri Pro gamepad in the teaser that doesn't sit quite right with me. Again, the Asus controller was missing its middle home button, but removing it was likely to prevent any on-the-nose references to an Xbox handheld. The thing is that if the new device does simply fuse that accessory with a ROG Ally, it'll feel more just like a premium portable with pro controller elements than something with specific Microsoft console DNA. After all, the pad does use its own third-party aesthetic, so the teaser hints don't really point toward anything with Series X/S vibes.

That's not a bad thing, far from it, but it's not what many fans would expect the first Xbox handheld to look like. Ultimately, it'll be down to Microsoft to come up with a software solution that helps the system feel like a console, and that could mean substantial Windows 11 updates are also in the pipeline. New devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S hammer home the fact that handheld optimization is sorely needed on the operating system, and I'd argue it's more important than any Xbox-flavored physical features.

What I'm saying is that Microsoft and Asus could team up to make an Xbox handheld that's virtually identical to an OG ROG Ally and still pull it off via software. Ideally, we'll end up with a portable with a custom hub that provides controller-friendly access to Game Pass while still retaining access to other storefronts through Windows 11. It doesn't feel like a big ask, but at this stage, I feel like I've been begging for a solution for years.

I'm still holding out for a fierce Steam Deck OLED rival that's made for Xbox games, but I'm not entirely sure if Microsoft is on the same page.

Already got Valve's handheld? Swing by the best Steam Deck accessories and best Steam Deck dock for excellent add-ons. You'll also want to peek at the best retro consoles if you're looking to play the classics.

This information comes from content creator Tyler McVicker, who recently spoke with Doom: The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin about id Software's next game, and has shared the info in a new video (below). McVicker reports that as well as there being 22 levels to sink our teeth into, "about 15-20% of the game is spent either in the Atlan or flying around in the dragon."

He later clarifies that we can expect "four dragon encounters and three Atlan encounters, the Atlan encounters effectively being their own levels, but the dragon encounters still being standard Doom Slayer on the ground, but the dragon is used to get the player to different points."

It's worth keeping in mind that without DLC, the last main Doom game, Doom Eternal, featured 13 levels, and the same goes for Doom (2016). With that in mind, Doom: The Dark Ages is well on its way to doubling the amount of levels offered in the most recent entries. It'll be interesting to see how this affects the overall runtime – the main story of Eternal was roughly 14 and a half hours according to HowLongToBeat, while Doom (2016) took players on average around 11 and a half hours to finish its main campaign. The game's director previously suggested to IGN that we can expect levels to be around an hour long this time around, so if that goes for every level in the game, it sounds like we're looking at a campaign that could be upwards of 20 hours long.

Anyway, we don't have long to wait before we can all dive in ourselves. Doom: The Dark Ages is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5 on May 13, so there's only a few weeks to go.

Be sure to check out our Doom: The Dark Ages big preview to see our thoughts from our hands-on time with the game.

Kojima tweets: "The PS4 version was released in November 2019. Shortly after, the world was hit by the pandemic. The PC version followed in July 2020, then the PS5 version of DSDC in September 2021. The PC version of DSDC came in March 2022, the Mac version in January 2024, and the Xbox version in November 2024. Our first IP from the studio—steadily expanding across multiple platforms. We’ve finally reached 20 million porters. Thank you all so much! We look forward to your continued support."

The game has seen a surge in Steam players, I assume because you're all either completing or replaying it ahead of Death Stranding 2's imminent launch date. This is what's pushed it over that 20 million mark. Just note though, that's players, not sales. I played my housemate's copy, so we'd count as two players but just one purchase.

I didn't play it until April, during the first lockdown in the UK. My housemate bought it when he was furloughed, and watching him wander the hills and mountains of the NUSA was captivating. It was the perfect time for a game all about connection.

Now, the game seems more poignant than ever, and Kojima says, "But even after five years from the initial release, many are still playing the game. That makes me the happiest." What a sweetheart.

He may be looking back, but he's still hard at work on Death Stranding 2. All the recording and sound mixing has been completed, and the game is just three months away from launch.

In the meantime, check out all the new games of 2025 and find something to play while you wait.