After getting a hands-off look at some early gameplay from upcoming Hyper Light Drifter sequel, Hyper Light Breaker, it’s clear that the follow-up is both thematically very Hyper Light while also functionally a significant departure from the first game. While Hyper Light Drifter was a single-player (at launch), top-down action-adventure, Hyper Light Breaker is a multiplayer-focused, 3D, roguelike action game.
Why change genre so dramatically for a follow-up when fans were, presumably, expecting more of the same? Creator Alx Preston doesn’t have that deep a reason: Hyper Light Breaker is simply the game the team wanted to make, and that he specifically wanted to make “for quite a long time” after Drifter’s release. So he’s not too fussed about how people feel about the changes – in fact, he might do a similar departure for another Hyper Light game in the future.
“People will like it or not like it, and that’s up to them,” Preston says. “We’re just making a game that we want to make, and I feel like the Hyper Light world has room to have a lot of different things in it as far as game styles go. Why not a Hyper Light racing game? It’s a robust world, and it can maintain many different identities as far as gameplay goes so I don’t think there are any limits to it.”
That said, Hyper Light Breaker is still very clearly tied to Hyper Light Drifter. We talked about some of the similarities in our hands-off first gameplay preview, but Preston adds that Hyper Light Breaker takes place in a “not too distant” time frame in the same world. It has story threads that tie into Drifter as well as recognizable elements such as tech, language, and symbology. And he says they’ve plotted its place in the Hyper Light timeline “very carefully.”
And then there are the more immediately noticeable thematic similarities between the two games.
“There’s a lot of tone to it,” he says. “There’s like a vibe to [Hyper Light Drifter] that was mysterious and dark and bleak. And while this one is brighter in a lot of ways, as you start to get into the story and as you start to get into different areas and bosses and whatever else, you’ll find those elements of bleakness even in the more stylized realm.”
Part of that tonal similarity leans on a theme those familiar with Preston’s work will likely expect to see: that of fighting through pain. Preston’s been open about his own struggles with congenital heart disease, and his experience with that became a key thematic element of Hyper Light Drifter, and was woven through Solar Ash as well.
“That’s the type of story that I’m drawn to because that’s the thing I’m most familiar with,” Preston says. “You’re trying to write what you know or tell stories about things you know. So yeah, it’s going to be different than Drifter as far as role-playing goes and different for which characters are going through what. But there will be a lot of struggle and pain and strife in different formats. Taking shape through central wellbeing or physical wellbeing through a variety of different characters and how they make the best in a bad situation basically.”
We spent about 45 minutes with Preston playing Hyper Light Breaker last week following the announcement of Hyper Light Breaker’s imminent early access period this fall. Our exclusive first gameplay preview has a lot more about the similarities and differences between Hyper Light Drifter and Breaker, as well as details about the new combat style and some vague if tantalizing clues about the game’s story. Hyper Light Breaker’s early access launch is currently planned for release on Steam.
The end of March has brought the PS5 even more success than ever before. Circana named it the best-selling console of February 2023, driving 29% of gaming hardware sales. Some of the credit for the PS5’s sales growth goes to Hogwarts Legacy, which became the #1 best-selling game to date, selling over 12 million copies two weeks after it launched.
Meanwhile, Tchia became an instant indie open-world darling upon its release on PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium. Developed by Montreal-based Awaceb, players assume the role of a titular 12-year-old girl and embark on a Breath of the Wild-style journey through an island inspired by the South Pacific nation of New Caledonia — and learn some Drehu and French along the way. Here are the 25 best PS5 games that take place far beyond the peaceful island.
Some games make excellent use of the DualSense controller’s innovative haptic feedback, others will make your gaming TV shine with 4K gameplay, and some are just plain great games. Without further ado, here are our updated picks for the 25 best PS5 games.
Most recent game updates were made on January 27, 2023.
The Traveler, the Genshin Impact protagonist, has been stranded in the magical land of Teyvat, searching for their estranged sibling, ever since the open-world game was first released in 2020. Their tale is still in the midst of unfolding, as new updates continually add new map pieces to the puzzle – magical jungles, vast deserts, treacherous mountain peaks – and introduce us to extraordinary new characters who become part of their story. It’s a joy to explore and discover each new chapter that arrives – apologies to our protagonist’s lost sibling, but we’re glad to savor the journey rather than race to its resolution.
“Windblume’s Breath,” the 3.5 update for Genshin Impact, is now available. Two characters have been added to Genshin Impact since the update: Dehya and Mika.
24. Apex Legends
From its inception, Apex Legends shook up the Battle Royale genre, featuring a handful of unique characters, fast-paced action, and some of the best movement in an FPS still to this day. While Apex Legends has had its ups and downs over the years, especially with issues surrounding its matchmaking, bugs, and expensive cosmetics, its dedication to consistency for content and pro-play still makes it one of the best FPS on the PS5. Apex has remained consistent with releases of new maps, characters, weapons, game modes, cosmetics, and balance updates.
The PS5 update for apex Legends improved on it with 4K output, Full 60hz gameplay, HDR, higher resolution shadow maps, and greater LOD distances to bring it closer to the true current-gen experience. And future updates are still planned to take advantage of the adaptive triggers, haptics, add 120hz gameplay, and other visual improvements, meaning, in theory, it should only get better with time. If you have a few friends and want to play a stellar FPS together without spending money, Apex Legends is the game for you.
The Sun Squad Collection Event, which brings a new battle royale mode called Heatwave, is running in Apex Legends until April 11.
23. Dead Space
The 2023 remake of Dead Space takes players back to dismembering necromorphs in the terrifying hallways of the USG Ishimura with not only an extremely gnarly new lick of paint, but a new focus on improving Issac Clarke’s story at every opportunity. While rebuilding from the ground up, EA Motive masterfully manages to remain extremely faithful and respectful to the original, while also adding all the exciting extra bells, whistles, and violence we’ve come to expect in a modern survival horror game. Simply put, 2023’s Dead Space is the ultimate way to experience this horror classic.
In a recent Reddit AMA on the Dead Space subreddit, senior game writer Jo Barry expressed EA Motive’s interest in continuing to remake the Dead Space series. He said in part, “We’ve said both internally and externally that we’d be interested in continuing our work on the Dead Space franchise. Our Core group is passionate about the brand and we need to discuss what’s the right next step for us.”
22. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves takes the two PS4 Uncharted games, polishes them up for the PS5 with 4K visuals, optional performance modes, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers with the DualSense, and more. While it clearly wasn’t as heavy a lift as The Last of Us Part 1’s translation to PS5, these two action-adventure classics simply hold up incredibly well, even with just a few improvements.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End still delivers gut punches, massive set pieces, and grins in spades, giving Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, and Victor Sullivan the send off they so rightfully deserve. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a generally underrated PS4 gem, also stands tall, telling a thrilling side story in India with fan favorites Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. If anyone with a PS5 missed these two heavy hitters the first time around, this collection is a no-brainer.
21. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is something simultaneous fresh and familiar. It puts a huge spin on the Little Big Planet universe, swapping its typical freeform customization with a linear platforming structure worthy of comparison to the Mario games that clearly influenced it. It’s a platformer full of charm and delight, from its creative levels to its absolutely fantastic music, and one that’s even better when played in co-op with a few friends. There aren’t a whole lot of games like Sackboy: A Big Adventure on PlayStation 5, and it’s fun enough that it would likely standout from the pack even if there were, making it a must-play for any platformer fan.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but does offer one of the series’ biggest worlds to date. What better way to break in your new PlayStation 5 than spending hundreds of hours in a Viking epic that will take you across three Kingdoms and even into the halls of Valhalla? The PlayStation 5 version massively improves the frame-rate, resolution, and loading times making the journey across the frozen north smoother and faster, making it the ideal platform to jump into Ubisoft’s latest assassin adventure.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is the rare next-gen upgrade that is only available on consoles, not PC. The new Vergil Mode, hyper-difficulty mode, Turbo Mode, and high-frame-rate mode are all console exclusive, meaning if you want to play Capcom’s blistering action game at its best, you’ll have to play it on a PlayStation 5. The long-awaited sequel in the Devil May Cry series is a return to basics, ditching the convoluted mythology for pure, unadulterated action.
18. Hitman: World of Assassination
Hitman: World of Assassination is the complete package of IO Interactive’s stunning stealth trilogy. Across 20 globetrotting locations, Agent 47 embarks on the biggest and most intricate missions of his career, from the catwalks of Paris, through the race tracks of Miami, to the pulsing rave halls of Berlin. That journey showcases the finest examples of IO’s formula: your targets can be dispatched with cold-blooded efficiency, or fall prey to Rube Goldberg-style series of events that results in a much more comical death (or if something backfires, a Wile E. Coyote-grade failure.) Each mission is so packed with opportunities and creative methods of murder that not even five replays will reveal every secret. This truly is a treasure trove of trouble.
World of Assassination, initially released as a three-game trilogy, was great on PS4, but it’s even better on PS5. The missions from the original two games have been upgraded and polished to a modern shine, ensuring this feels a coherent package. It also now includes Freelancer, a roguelike mode that pushes your stealth skills to their very limits. Regardless Of the mode, though, you can kill a guy by making him slip on a banana peel, which is funny anywhere, but on PS5 it’s also very pretty thanks to increased resolution, a steady 60fps, and an overall smoother experience over the last-gen version.
Death Stranding was a divisive game upon launch for sure, even for fans of Hideo Kojima’s madcap video game concepts. But if the idea of an Odyssian journey to reconnect a broken United States by delivering packages appeals to you (there are dozens of us) then you were rewarded with one of the most visually stunning, uniquely playing games of the generation. The Director’s Cut adds several quality of life improvements that should make the game easier for players who just want to experience the story, and adds a bit more combat and stealth for fans who miss the Metal Gear universe.
Kojima Productions is producing Death Stranding 2, which may not be released until 2024.
16. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
Everyone has heard of The Witcher 3 by now. One of the best RPGs of the last generation and the game that firmly cemented CD Projekt Red as one of the world’s premier game developers. While critics have heralded the game’s visuals, storytelling, and gameplay, the same can hardly be said about The Witcher 3’s technical performance. The new Complete Edition with a bevvy of next-gen updates fixes most, if not all, the technical shortcomings. With smooth frame-rate, 4K textures, and loads of other fixes, The Witcher 3 on PS5 is the definitive version of one of the best RPGs of all time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt recently got the 4.02 patch, improving Performance Mode and adding refraction to ray-traced water reflections, among other quality-of-life changes.
15. Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo games have always been as much tech showcases for the latest PlayStation console as they are excellent driving sims. As such the series has only improved with each generation, and with racing more popular than ever, now’s the best time to dive into PlayStation’s marquis driving sim. It’s difficult to say whether or not Gran Turismo 7 is the most accessible game in the series, but there’s a robust training mode that will take you through every aspect of the game’s realistic driving elements. While you can find yourself spending hours on just learning how to turn a corner, if you put in the work, you’ll be rewarded with access to the most beautiful racing sim released on this generation of consoles.
Gran Turismo 7’s 1.31 update is now available, bringing five new cars, a new Scapes location, and the Nurburgring Endurance and Nurburgring Sprint layouts.
14. Deathloop
Arkane Studios’ Deathloop is undoubtedly one of the more unique experiences to grace the PS5 so far. Arkane builds on the immersive sim bones from its past to create an incredibly dense and playful world. Figuring out the right paths to take, weapons and powers to use, and even times of day to visit certain locations makes exploration its own puzzle, and Arkane’s beautiful, Saul Bass-inspired world is filled with peculiar oddities to pick up on and exploit to complete your objectives. In a time where timeloops are the feature du jour in gaming, Deathloop’s is one of the most unique and satisfying to navigate, making knowledge its own reward, on top of a suite of incredible powers. And don’t even get us started on its stunning soundtrack.
Control is a wonderfully weird game. On one hand, it’s very Remedy – the game’s tone, gameplay, and mixed-media previously used in games such as Alan Wake and Quantum Break feels familiar. On the other hand, it’s something wholly original. Control showcases more style in its full-screen title treatments than many games do in their entire aesthetics, and its suite of psychic abilities to inflict pain upon your foes is utterly bonkers.
Sometimes funny, sometimes scary, and always interesting, Control is a one-of-a-kind game that shouldn’t be missed. And the Ultimate Edition is worth playing for the new bells and whistles added on the PS5, especially if you’re interested in Remedy’s extended universe and if you would like to make use of PS5’s Activity Cards in a way few games had so far. Just be warned: you will never look at a refrigerator the same way again.
Final Fantasy VII Remake/Intergrade was the pipe dream that many fans hoped would happen but didn’t believe would see the light of day. Seeing the first chapter of FFVII remake in crisp HD and fully voice-acted not only made the day for those who tout it as the best in the franchise but also for those who may have missed out in the PS1 era. It’s a shining example of how far gaming has come in the five generations of Playstation.
The game updated more than its visuals opting for faster real-time action that rewards skill and preparation while still allowing anyone who wants the traditional turn-based combat a way to choose that option as well. Because you never get to leave Midgar, Square-Enix improved and added to the side stories with the other members of Avalanche, your time in Wall Market, and added a few more areas to expand upon the original. The materia system is back and optimized with new materia for the updated gameplay style and introduces new ones to compliment it.
The Intermission expansion puts Yuffie front and center and gives her a chance to shine before the next release. It includes arguably the best and most engaging combat via her elemental ninjutsu, synergy attacks, and other ninja skills. Both the core game and the Intermission DLC add to the context of the world and give a sneak peek at what we can expect for the next installment of the FFVII Remake and is worth a try for the first time and longtime fans of Final Fantasy.
FF7R Part 2, officially titled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is due out “next winter.” Before that, Square Enix will release Final Fantasy 16 on June 22 as a PS5 exclusive.
11. Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut
When Ghost of Tsushima was released on the PlayStation 4, it already felt like a next-gen game thanks to its stunning visuals and impressive open world; it was clear Sucker Punch had learned a lot about creating an engaging open world since its (admittedly admirable for the time) efforts on the Infamous franchise. But the Director’s Cut is the definitive take on Ghost of Tsushima, and it’s all the better on the PS5.
This robust package, even as a refined PS4 game, makes great use of the DualSense in both exploration and combat. Add in new lip sync for Japanese voice over, and, somehow, visual and performance improvements, and you’ve got what is the must-play version of a must-play PlayStation game.
Sucker Punch’s next project is another open-world game with stealth and action elements — perhaps Ghost of Tsushima 2? What has been confirmed is a Ghost of Tsushima movie. Directed by Chad Stahleski (John Wick), the movie will be a retelling of the game’s story.
10. Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil has never shied away from the mystical and supernatural, and Village leans into those themes more than any entry in the series to date. From severed hands that can just be simply reattached, to floating killer dolls, to nine foot tall lady vampires, Resident Evil Village feels like wandering through a demented circus. In one fell swoop, it gave us what will go on to become one of the most recognizable Resi villains ever: Lady Dimitrescu, while still respecting the main antagonist’s story that began in Resident Evil 7.
It brings the series back to its Metroidvania roots, requiring you to revisit areas seen several times throughout your playthrough, but with new tools at your disposal to explore them. It’s by far the most fantastical the series has ever gotten, and it remains to be seen whether or not Resident Evil will ever return to its more straightforward zombie roots, or at this point, if we’d even want it to.
The DualSense Controller is one of the most defining characteristics of the PS5, as the nuanced haptic feedback and strategically used adaptive triggers create a level of immersion that feels genuinely special. Nowhere is that tech better showcased than in Astro’s Playroom which is – quite literally – designed to show off the capabilities of the Dualsense controller.
But this would-be tech demo is also a fantastic game in its own right, with a delightful set of worlds to explore that all celebrate a different facet of the PS5 and the different eras of PlayStation software and hardware. Astro’s Playroom reminds players why they’ve loved PlayStation while giving them a reason to fall in love all over again. Its solid platforming, fun environmental puzzles, and enticing set of collectibles will have you gunning for the platinum and getting it in no time.
Developer Team Asobi is now working on its “biggest” game to date. Studio director Nicolas Doucet said it will be a full commercial title that’s “not limited by any money or time.”
8. Returnal
Returnal is a trailblazer of sorts. Roguelikes have long been one of the most popular genres on the indie scene, with games like Spelunky 2, Dead Cells, Enter the Gungeon, and The Binding of Isaac leading the charge, but in the AAA space, we’ve never really seen anything quite like Returnal. Returnal combines Housemarque’s expertise in intense, bullet hell, arcadey shoot-em-ups, with deep roguelike mechanics and a dense, chilling atmosphere, resulting in unforgettable experiences. Returnal’s one issue on release was the inability to suspend its lengthy runs and save your progress, but since that’s been patched, it’s hard to find flaws in this incredibly bold and ambitious take on the AAA roguelike.
Horizon Forbidden West builds on the already impressive foundations of Horizon Zero Dawn to tell a deeper, more thrilling story that amps up the series’ explosive fights against complex robotic foes and blockbuster action sequences, while also adding lively settlements and thoughtful, intriguing sidequests to the world. The Forbidden West itself is absolutely gorgeous on PS5 – ranging from the incredibly detailed faces of the people you meet and costumes they wear to sweeping and frequently stunning landscapes. There’s a genuine sense of exploration, and loads of completely involving worldbuildingto uncover as well for those wanting to learn more. A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, the game’s first DLC, was revealed during The Game Awards. Coming exclusively to the PS5 version of Forbidden West, Burning Shores takes Aloy to the LA region in pursuit of a “sinister threat.”
6. Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
As Insomniac’s first truly exclusive PS5 game, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart is a stunning showcase for what Sony’s next-gen console can do, thanks to a series practically built to take advantage of all the new bells and whistles. Whether you’re a newcomer to the duo’s adventures or a longtime fan since the PS2 days, there’s charm a-plenty to be found in returning characters, and brand new ones like the incredible Rivet and Kit.
The delightful, and surprisingly emotional story, is at the core of a theme park ride-like adventure through a host of varied alien worlds, which are stunningly realized in both depth and clarity of detail while running so smoothly on the PS5. And Rift Apart includes one of the franchise’s best suite of weapons, from the wacky Topiary Sprinkler to the powerful Executor, all of which make great use of both the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers. Ratchet and Clank may be one of the longest-running Sony franchises still seeing new entries, but if Rift Apart is any indication, there’s still so much life, humor, and dazzling action to left to experience.
5. Demon’s Souls
Bluepoint Games had some high expectations to meet with the PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls. Not only was it an anticipated remake of a beloved and landmark game, but also as the first major showcase of what a dedicated PS5 game of this scope could look like.
Fortunately, Bluepoint delivered, and Demon’s Souls is not only jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but it’s also incredibly faithful to the source material.It’s handily one of the deepest, richest, and most challenging experiences currently found on the console.
Developer Bluepoint Games was officially acquired by PlayStation in 2021. The studio’s next project will be an original game, rather than another remake.
4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Though not a full-blown sequel, this standalone expansion sends Peter Parker on vacation and leaves his young spider-apprentice Miles Morales to look after New York. Building on the rock-solid foundations of Insomniac’s first game, New York has been gorgeously blanketed with snow, holiday cheer, and next-gen polish.
The improvements aren’t just cosmetic, however – the eponymous hero has a few more spider-powers at his disposal than Peter Parker, and these are cleverly adapted into new gameplay mechanics that, while they don’t reinvent the wheel, they put enough of a spin on it to make it feel fresh – sometimes literally, thanks to the DualSense controller. It doesn’t feature as robust of a campaign or as many colorful villains as 2018’s Spider-Man, but Miles Morales’ story has just as much charm and heart as its predecessor, possibly more. Its tagline of “Be Greater” set a high bar, but Miles Morales somersaults over it with ease.
And if you’re loving Miles Morales but somehow missed out on or want to replay its predecessor, there’s no reason not to get the ultimate edition and pick up Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered as well. We previously had MSMR as a standalone game on this list because it was such a great port, but considering the breadth of games we want to now highlight on the PS5, and its availability only as a part of Miles’ special edition, we decided to couple it with our recommendation here.
The Last of Us Part I is arguably the best way to experience the story Naughty Dog was initially told back in 2013. While there is a point of contention on whether this remake was necessary overall, the improvements and changes introduced are enough to warrant this as a great first way to experience this decade-old franchise. The improved character models and facial animation are the biggest praises for this remake, making the phenomenal acting done by the cast more meaningful and realistic. The Last of Us has an incredible and emotional story, and the updated technology allows even the most touching scenes to hit the closest to home. The utilization of the PS5’s DualSense controller also greatly improves the core gameplay and is some of the best showcases of what the controller is capable of to date. The haptic feedback you can feel in every weapon used, from melee to firearms, and the fact that environmental effects such as the sensation of falling rain helo immerse you into this ravaged and desolated world. Not only that, but the DualSense features also have been a great tool in accessibility, using the controller’s haptic feedback to allow players to feel everything they encounter, whether through physical interaction or hearing it, such as in dialogue exchanges.
While the remake does not include the multiplayer mode found in 2013 original, and the remastered version was ported just a year later, we know that Naughty Dog is working on a standalone multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe.
2. God of War Ragnorok
God of War Ragnarok is hands down one of the easiest games to recommend to anyone asking what game they should play first on their PS5. The gameplay is an immensely satisfying combination of combat, puzzle solving, and exploration that is bound together with a heartwarming story of family, adolescence, and letting go. The combat rewards players for experimentation and precision but also is versatile enough that even using a fraction of the moves at your disposal feels effective and rewarding. Each moment is bolstered by its fantastic soundtrack that elevates everything from the smallest interaction to the most impactful moments in the story. The world’s jaw-dropping landscapes feel organic and filled with life (except for Helheim, of course), but it’s hard not to stop and admire it every step.
Its story, gameplay, soundtrack, and nearly every other part of the game culminate masterfully to live up to expectations for a flagship PlayStation game. Some may take issue with the pacing in certain parts of the game, but the next chapter in Kratos and Atreus’s saga is filled with heart, charm, and humor. With the combination of the improvements from God of War (2018) and the path it’s carved out for itself among other action-adventure games, God of War: Ragnarok is one of the new benchmarks for what Playstation exclusives can do on the PS5.
1. Elden Ring
It’s hard to encapsulate everything that makes Elden Ring such a monumental game in a short blurb, but let’s try: at the core of it all is Elden Ring’s incredible sense of freedom and discovery. There are open world games that are bigger than Elden Ring, prettier than Elden Ring, and quite frankly run better than Elden Ring, but few, if any, are as robust or as rewarding.
The Lands Between is positively littered with branching paths that lead to catacombs, dungeons, caves, forts, castles, towers, even entire underground cities, and within each of them is some sort of unique challenge, from a trap filled crypt with insta-kill chariots racing down every slope, to one of Elden Ring’s many fantastic boss fights. The best part of it all is that every challenge comes with its own bountiful reward that may bend the difficulty curve in your favor, whether that’s a new spell, summon, weapon, or material that lets you upgrade your gear. Elden Ring can be an extraordinarily difficult game, sure, but the freedom it gives you to maneuver through or around that difficulty is absolutely liberating, and makes it the most universally recommendable From Software game yet.
It can really depend on what types of games you like to play, but if you are looking for recommendations on the for what to play on the PS5, we recommend picking up a copy of Elden Ring. If you’re looking specifically for a PlayStation Exclusive game, Horizon Forbidden West is also a very good option you can’t play anywhere else.
What are the Best Games on PS Plus?
If you happen to have PlayStation Plus Extra or PlayStation Premium than you have access to some of the best games on the console. A few of the best PS Plus games include Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Updates: On January 27, 2023 our best PS5 games list was updated to include 10 more titles. Rankings were also updated to reflect the opinions of IGN staff.
Poncle has announced a second expansion for Vampire Survivors called Tides of the Foscari, which will arrive on April 13.
As revealed on Xbox Wire, the expansion takes players to western Europe in the Great Forest with the developers were influenced by local fairy tales and folklore. At the center lies the Foscari Academy, a school that trains the next generation of warriors, scholars, and leaders.
It’s divided into three houses: the Azure Tower trains magical sorcerers and warlocks; the Crimson Anvil focuses on strength, engineering, and blacksmithing; and the Amber Sickle consists of professions such as accounting, agriculture, and archery.
As for the new content, there are eight new characters, 13 new weapons, one new stage, seven music tracks, and 20 new achievements. And this all costs $1.99.
Vampire Survivors’ first expansion, Legacy of the Moonspell was released back in December 2022, and now Tides of the Forscari will arrive soon.
In IGN’s Vampire Survivors review, we said: “Vampire Survivors is outwardly simple but turns out to be an incredibly deep hole to fall down – though it’s not without extended dull periods when you get ahead of its curve.”
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
Development on Final Fantasy 16 is now complete as developer Square Enix has announced the game has gone gold.
Shared in a tweet (below) on the Final Fantasy 16 Twitter account, Square Enix has wrapped up development way ahead of the game’s launch date of June 22.
“Final Fantasy 16 has gone gold,” it said simply. “From the entire development team, including Torgal, we hope you’re looking forward to Final Fantasy 16’s launch on June 22.”
Final Fantasy XVI has gone gold.
From the entire team, including Torgal, we hope you’re looking forward to #FF16‘s launch on June 22nd ? pic.twitter.com/Vrtd3cMNW5
Square Enix has provided incremental updates on its development since then, even saying the game had completed basic development one month after its announcement. Producer Naoki Yoshida then said in April 2022 that it was in the “final stages” of development,” leading many to believe Final Fantasy 16 would launch towards the end of that year.
That didn’t happen, of course, but June isn’t too far away for those looking forward to the game. It’s only coming to PlayStation 5 at launch despite some conflicting messaging from Square Enix, though Sony only has six months of exclusivity.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Join Emma, Mat, and Matt as they discuss the new Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, followed by a special interview segment with directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The ‘Matt’ Trio also talk about this week’s TV highlights as both Succession and Yellowjackets are back on our screens, then move onto Counter-Strike 2 thoughts, and some doughnut-fueled feedback.
Got a game for us to play, or just want to tell us the weirdest thing you’ve eaten for breakfast? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.
While on previous Forza Horizon games the wild, toy-themed expansions have come after a more grounded one, for Forza Horizon 5 developer Playground Games led with its terrific Hot Wheels add-on last year. However, after seven months of pounding the orange plastic high above the clouds, the team has taken us right back down to the desert and dust for some new rally-themed racing across a fresh slab of Mexican countryside. It admittedly isn’t quite as eye-catching – and it’s regressed from some key tweaks to the progression system introduced in Hot Wheels – but competing against the clock with a co-driver is a great new way to race in Horizon, and the excellent map is packed with far more technical routes than found in the main game.
This map, which Playground has dubbed Sierra Nueva, is really the highlight of Rally Adventure – and perhaps deceptively so, considering it’s not as immediately distinct from the main game itself as, say, the snowy Blizzard Mountain DLC was from the core Forza Horizon 3 map. There are six different environments blended together in Sierra Nueva, and on closer inspection it does effectively look and feel like a separate part of Mexico than what we’ve been driving around since late 2021. There’s new vegetation, and zones like the quarry are unlike anything already in Horizon 5.
Sierra Nueva’s real strength, however, is its road network.
Sierra Nueva’s real strength, however, is its road network. Don’t be fooled by the early pop-up that indicates you’ve only got 32 roads to drive down before you’ve seen them all – many of these roads are long and technical, like the guitar solo in Free Bird. The best among them are characterised by tighter corners and more hairpins than you’ll find on a typical Forza Horizon 5 road, plus more bumps and jumps, as well as longer stretches between junctions. Sierra Nueva’s new dust effects are also a standout, and it hangs in the air above the dirt and gravel for far longer than before.
After a strong opening drive, where the route into the festival is clogged with campers on the way into the main hub, Rally Adventure breaks the racing up into three threads – each with a slightly different take on rallying. In a somewhat unfortunate step back, things have reverted to a bit of a free-for-all rather than the gated class system that gave the Hot Wheels expansion a nicer sense of progression. Of course, you can still use any car you want to enter events and the AI will adjust class accordingly. This is how I played, changing cars for each of the nearly 30 events to keep things varied. I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by blazing through everything in your fastest hypercar, unless you’re only here for a short time rather than a good time.
Each event can be played two ways – either as a single car rallying against the clock or a standard race against a pack of opponents – but the proper rallying is the highlight. It’s not a particularly demanding simulation (and its straightforward pace notes crib plenty from the pick-up-and-play pleasure of genre granddaddy Sega Rally) but it’s absorbing, arcade-inspired fun. Having your co-driver soaring over the stage above you in a helicopter is a cool touch, too. It doesn’t just look slick, either – it’s also a smart solution to explain why you’re still receiving co-driver audio in single-seater vehicles.
Dust ’Til Dawn
As with Hot Wheels, Rally Adventure adds 10 new vehicles to the garage – and it’s worth noting the selection here is a way more natural fit in this rally-themed expansion than it was last time around. Now don’t get me wrong, because there are some wicked cars that come with Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels – especially if you’re into… supercars named after Australian 24 Hours of Le Mans winners, which peculiarly accounts for 20 percent of them. However, it’s hard to say there’s much inherently “Hot Wheels” about cars Mattel has never made diecast versions of.
I’m an enormous fan of the iconic 2001 WRC Ford Focus RS of Colin McRae and Nicky Grist, and it’s a perfect fit as essentially the hero car of this expansion.
In Rally Adventure, the curation leans entirely into rallying and off-roading. I’m an enormous fan of the iconic 2001 WRC Ford Focus RS of Colin McRae and Nicky Grist, and it’s a perfect fit as essentially the hero car of this expansion. I also love the Hoonigan Beetle, affectionately nicknamed the Scumbug. It’s not quick, but lower-powered cars are regularly a lot of fun to use as it’s all about pushing them up to their absolute limit and keeping them there on the brink of losing control in order to maintain your momentum. It’s especially serendipitous here considering the Scumbug was literally built by the Hoonigan team to rally in Mexico.
There’s an argument that the 10 new cars are too heavy with trophy trucks and buggies over traditional rally cars, but keep in mind the latest update to the main game just added a host of new rally parts for pretty much every traditional rally car already in the existing garage. On top of that, the incredibly talented community has whipped up excellent replica liveries for all of them over the past few years. The lack of a license for Lancia in Forza Horizon 5 hurts, and it definitely leaves a hole in an experience so overtly inspired by the likes of Sega Rally, but there are plenty of other rally legends that can be built to tackle this new map.
The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved franchises in video game history, right next to Super Mario Bros., Pokemon, and Sonic the Hedgehog. For nearly 40 years, fans have enjoyed playing through the vast world and lore of Hyrule with various incarnations of Link, the mute green-clad knight sworn to protect the kingdom and Princess Zelda from the evil of Ganon.
Now that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is approaching its release date in May, you may be looking play all the games in the series in release order or chronological order. If you’re going down the latter route and don’t know which Zelda game to start with, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for the full timeline.
How To Play The Legend of Zelda Games In Chronological Order
If you’ve been a hardcore Legend of Zelda fan since 1986, you may have noticed that Link appears as a young adult in one game, a child in another, and vice versa. The inconsistency in Link’s age is because Nintendo made the timeline open to interpretation. However, Nintendo released the master timeline in Hyrule Historia in 2011, which starts with Skyward Sword and branches into three different timelines after Ocarina of Time: the Child Timeline, the Adult Timeline, and the Fallen Hero Timeline. The Calamity Timeline, which aptly starts with Age of Calamity, is separate from those timelines because it rendered them a myth.
That being said, here is the list of The Legend of Zelda games in chronological order according to the fictional continuity. Hyrule Warriors is its own separate thing because it was developed by Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, and Team Ninja — the creators of Dynasty Warriors — so we’re excluding the game from the list for that reason.
Skyward Sword takes place thousands of years after the Ancient Battle in the Era of the Goddess Hylia, set on the floating island of Skyloft where knowledge of the surface world below is nonexistent. This game stars the first Link, who forges the Master Sword from the Goddess Sword with the help of Fi as he rescues Zelda from the demon lord Ghirahim in order to revive his master, Demise.
Nearly 10 years after its release as a Wii game, Skyward Sword received an HD remaster for the Nintendo Switch. The remaster has two control schematics: one where the Joy-Cons replicate the motion control maps of the Wiimote and the Nunchuck, and another where the sword can be used with the right analog stick in handheld mode.
The Minish Cap is the only canon Zelda title developed by a company other than Nintendo, which is Capcom. Link accompanies Zelda to the Picori Festival to celebrate tiny people who call themselves Minish. It’s here that sorcerer Vaati, the first reincarnation of Demise, seeks the Light Force as he believes it hides the Picori Blade. After Vaati unleashes a horde of monsters from breaking the sword’s seal and turns Zelda to stone in the process, Link sets off to reforge the Picori Blade with the help of Ezlo, the eponymous Minish Cap who has the power to shrink the wearer down to the size of the Minish..
The Minish Cap is a prequel to Four Swords because once the Picori Blade is reforged, it turns into the Four Sword, which seals Vaati inside it. You can currently play the game on Nintendo Switch thanks to the GBA game update.
Vaati breaks from the seal of the Four Sword and kidnaps Zelda with the intent of making her his bride. After drawing the Four Sword, Link splits into four copies himself — green, red, blue, and purple — and they all have to work together to defeat various foes to get to Vaati, reseal him in the Four Sword, and rescue Zelda.
Fours Swords is the first multiplayer game in the series that was bundled with the 2002 Game Boy Advance version of A Link to the Past. It was later released as a standalone game for DSiWare.
After having premonitions of Ganondorf seizing the Triforce, a young Link is gifted the fairy Navi by the Great Deku Tree, who is cursed and dying, and sets them on a quest to stop him. He meets Princess Zelda, who had the same prophetic dreams as Link and they plot together to open the Door of Time to get to the Triforce before Ganondorf does. Unfortunately, when Link attempts to draw the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, he gets sealed away for seven years and wakes up to a Hyrule ravaged by Ganondorf. Finally old enough to wield the Master Sword, he accepts his destiny as the Hero of Time, and travels throughout the broken kingdom — and time — to re-assemble the Triforce and defeat Ganondorf.
Here’s where the time split comes in. After Ganondorf is sealed away in the Evil Realm, Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his own time, but it splits into three branches — the Fallen Hero Timeline, where Ganon defeats Link; the Child Timeline, which follows Link back to his own time; and the Adult Timeline, where Link disappears from Hyrule. The Master Sword exists in the last two timelines; however Link places the sword back in the Pedestal of Time in the former, while Zelda does so in the latter.
During his months-long search for Navi in this direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, Link runs into the Skull Kid, who wears the titular mask and steals Link’s horse, prompting the hero to chase him into the parallel world of Termina. The mask itself is inhabited by a demon named Majora, and corrupts the Skull Kid to the point where he plots to destroy Termina by bringing down the moon. With only three days to stop the apocalypse, Link uses transformative masks to free the Four Giants from four different regions to help keep the moon from colliding with the earth and defeat Majora.
After saving Termina from getting pummelled by the moon, Link resumes his search for Navi, never to be seen again. He turns into the Hero’s Spirit after his death.
In Twilight Princess, Link is a ranch hand and a descendant of the Hero’s Spirit. His peaceful life in Ordon Village is shattered by the shadow monsters called Bulbins, who he pursues after they kidnap the children and plunge most of Hyrule into Twilight. When Link enters the Twilight, he transforms into a wolf and teams up with an imp named Midna to go up against Zant, King of the Twilight, who seeks to rule over the realms of light and shadow.
After Link kills Zant with the Fused Shadow, he rescues Princess Zelda from a resurrected Ganondorf at Hyrule Castle and kills him with the Master Sword, which broke Link’s wolf curse after he drew it from the Sacred Grove, where the Temple of Time once stood.
Twilight Princess was the launch title for the Wii and the last first-party release for the Nintendo GameCube in 2006. It was remastered for the Wii U a decade later.
Centuries after Ganondorf’s death, Princess Zelda summons Link to the castle to protect her and her shrine maidens after figuring out that the strange occurrences plaguing Hyrule were caused by the weakening of Vaati’s seal. As Zelda works with the maidens to restrengthen the seal, Shadow Link appears and kidnaps them. This forces Link to pull the Four Sword and work his multi-colored clones once more to defeat his evil doppelganger, who turns out to be the minion of Ganon, who wants to plunge most of Hyrule into darkness.
In the first GameCube game of the series, Link is a resident of Outset Island who is not related to the Hero of Time whatsoever. He sets out to rescue his younger sister Aryll, who gets kidnapped by the Helmaroc King per Ganondorf’s command to kidnap young girls with pointed ears in the hopes of capturing Zelda. He gets help from the pirate captain Tetra — an incarnation of Zelda. With the help of her pirate crew and a talking boat called the King of Red Lions to sail the ocean, they explore the islands to gather the powers necessary to defeat Ganondorf.
Nintendo remastered The Wind Waker in HD for the Wii U in 2013 to hold fans over while they wait for a new entry to be developed the same console — which turned out to be Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch — and to give developers room to test what they can do with the new hardware.
After the events of The Wind Waker, Link sails with Tetra and her crew when they happen upon the Ghost Ship, one of the ships rumored to disappear in the World of the Ocean King. When Tetra boards the ship in sight, she disappears with it, prompting Link to rescue her only to get thrown overboard and wash up on Mercay Island. There he meets a fairy named Ciela and her grandfather Oshus, who gives Link the Phantom Hourglass to fend off the curse placed on the Temple of the Ocean King by Bellum.
A century after the events of Phantom Hourglass, Link is a Royal Engineer who goes to the Tower of Spirits with Princess Zelda to investigate the disappearance of the Spirit Tracks. Their train gets derailed by Chancellor Cole, an advisor to Zelda who reveals himself to be a demon on a mission to revive Malladus, the Demon King sealed underground long ago by the Lokomo people. Cole casts a spell that separates Zelda’s soul from her body in order to use her body as a vessel for Malladus, fragmenting the Tower of Spirits, while her soul stays with Link as they work to put it back in its rightful place.
Link heeds a telepathic call from Princess Zelda to come to Hyrule Castle to save her from her imprisonment by the dark wizard Agahnim that used his powers to brainwash Hyrule’s soldiers, depose the king, and banished six maidens to the Dark World in order to break the seal on Ganon and rule both the Light and Dark Worlds. Link’s uncle also heeds the call, but dies in the dungeon — but not before telling Link he’s the heir to the Knights of Hyrule. Link learns that in order to defeat Agahnim, he’ll have to collect the three Pendants of Virtue from dungeons across Hyrule and then get the Master Sword from the Lost Woods.
During Link’s travels to the Dark World via the Magic Mirror to rescue the maidens he discovers Agahnim to be Ganon’s alter ego and fights Ganon in the Pyramid of Power.
On his way back to Hyrule following his training to prep for new disasters that would threaten the kingdom, Link gets caught in a storm in the middle of the ocean and ends up shipwrecked on the island of Koholint, where a giant egg sits on the peak of Mt. Tamaranch. He is rescued by Marin, a young woman who strongly resembles Princess Zelda despite the game not featuring her in any capacity, and learns that in order to leave the island, he’ll have to collect eight Instruments of the Sirens and wake the Wind Fish who sleeps in the egg.
Link’s Awakening received a 3D remake for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, which saw Link upgraded to a chibi design.
The Triforce calls Link to Holodrum, where he witnesses a dancer named Din, the titular Oracle of Seasons, get kidnapped by Onox, the General of Darkness. This event throws the seasons of the land into disarray. To restore the balance of the seasons, Link has to collect the eight Essences of Nature and use the Rod of Seasons to manipulate the seasons everywhere he goes. After rescuing Din, he gets transported to Labrynna, where Oracle of Ages takes place.
As in Oracle of Seasons, the Triforce beckons Link to Labrynna, where the singer Nayru is possessed by Veran the Sorceress of Shadows, disrupting the flow of time. Link uses the Harp of Ages to travel between past and present to collect the eight Essences of Time and fight Veran atop the Black Tower.
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons have an ending that is linked with a password, so if one game is played as a sequel to the other, Twinrova captures Princess Zelda and lights the Flame of Despair. Link defeats Twinrova and a poorly revived Ganon and frees Zelda, leaving Labrynna by boat.
In this game, Link, an apprentice to a blacksmith, encounters Yuga, who has been turning people throughout Hyrule into paintings, including the Seven Sages and Princess Zelda. Using a magic bracelet given to him by a mysterious peddler, Link travels to Lorule to stop Yuga’s ambitions to consume Hyrule and Lorule with Ganon at his side.
A Link Between Worlds is famous for its dual gameplay, as Link becomes a two-dimensional painting himself while traveling through the walls of Lorule and turns back into his three-dimensional self when he returns to Hyrule.
Tri Force Heroes is set in the kingdom of Hytopia, where Princess Styla is known for her beauty and impeccable taste in fashion. Unfortunately, the witch Lady Maud cursed Styla with a brown jumpsuit that she cannot take off at all, so Link joins two doppelgangers to gather the pieces of the Lady’s Ensemble and cure Styla of her fashion disaster.
Tri Force Heroes is the first game in the series to support online multiplayer. The controls are the same as Four Swords, even though there’s one less Link in the group.
Ganon is revived to lead his army to attack Hyrule, steal the Triforce of Power, and kidnap Princess Zelda. But before she was taken and subsequently imprisoned, Zelda splits the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and scatters them throughout the kingdom to keep it from falling into Ganon’s hands, leading her nursemaid Impa to find Link. After learning of Ganon’s invasion, the hero finds the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, defeats him, and rescues Zelda.
Six years later after Ganon’s death, while helping to restore Hyrule, Link receives a glowing Triforce mark on his left hand on his 16th birthday. The mark opens the door to the altar where Princess Zelda I is under a sleeping curse, and Link learns the she’ll only be awakened with the Triforce of Courage, which is kept in the Great Palace. So Link sets out to deposit six crystals in the palaces around Hyrule, defeat six guardians, and beat any of Ganon’s minions trying to get his blood to revive him.
Set 100 years before the events of Breath of the Wild, Link and Princess Zelda round up their allies to defend Hyrule against Calamity Ganon, who is attempting to revive himself and destroy the kingdom with his Malice. When a mysterious Guardian comes from the future bearing evidence of their failure, they expedite their efforts to team up with four champions of Hyrule’s other races to strengthen their forces and find the Master Sword in the Korok Forest to change the outcome of their battle.
Unable to defeat Calamity Ganon, even after the Divine Beasts have weakened him, Zelda seals herself and him away in Hyrule Castle, and sends Link to sleep at the Shrine of Resurrection for 100 years to heal his fatal wounds.
A century has passed, and Link awakens from his restorative slumber without his memories. Meanwhile, Zelda’s awakening powers have weakened, Calamity Ganon has grown stronger, and Hyrule has been completely destroyed by the Great Calamity. Link travels all over Hyrule to regain his memories, free the Divine Beasts of the Blight Ganons, and confront Ganon once more.
Breath of the Wild is still widely praised as one of the best open-world games, with a style that has inspired games outside the series like Immortals Fenyx Rising, Genshin Impact, and Sonic Frontiers.
How To Play The Legend of Zelda Games By Release Date
If you want to play The Legend of Zelda games in the order in which they were released instead of switching between the modern games and the classic ones, here are all the mainline games by U.S. release date.
The Legend of Zelda – August 22, 1987 – NES
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link – December 1, 1988 – NES
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – April 13, 1992 – SNES
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – August 6, 1993 – Game Boy
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – November 21, 1998 – N64
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – October 26, 2000 – N64
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages – May 13, 2001 – Game Boy Color
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords – December 2, 2002 – Game Boy Advance
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – March 24, 2003 – GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures – June 7, 2004 – GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap – January 10, 2005 – Game Boy Advance
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – November 19, 2006 (Wii) / December 11, 2006 (GameCube)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – October 1, 2007 – Nintendo DS
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – December 7, 2009 – Nintendo DS
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – June 19, 2011 – Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – November 20, 2011 – Wii
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – September 20, 2013 – Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D – February 13, 2015 – Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes – October 23, 2015 – Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD – March 4, 2016 – Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – March 3, 2017 – Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (2019) – September 20, 2019 – Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD – July 16, 2021 – Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – May 12, 2023 – Nintendo Switch
MultiVersus is closing its doors – well, early access doors – on June 25, and there’s been a lot of discourse about this move by Warner Bros. Games and Player First Games. I think the general consensus is that everyone sort of forgot MultiVersus was an Early Access game as it’s had not one but two seasons since it launched.
A lot of games recently have been coming out as Open Beta, Beta, or Early Access, and they just kind of stay that way. DayZ is the biggest example I can think of; the game had been in alpha for five years but just came out as a beta in 2018. Now, this isn’t a great example since you can’t buy a battlepass or cosmetics for DayZ, and MultiVersus has a battlepass and cosmetics system in place, but you can still purchase DayZ to play this beta.
Generally, if an early access game does close down for a bit, it’s not a big deal. But MultiVersus’ early access really appeared to be a fully released game. There were more than a handful of tournaments for MultiVersus at big competitions like EVO, and it even won a Game Award for Best Fighting Game 2022.
When MultiVersus launched in early access, it appeared to continue with that early access title until it was ready with its full release – sort of like how Fortnite went from open beta to a fully released game. But it turns out that’s not the case, and it’s frustrating to see players lose a game they’ve been playing openly without worry, and also been putting money into.
During the time that MultiVersus is going to be completely offline, players will not be able to get a refund for anything they’ve purchased in the game. Their progress and cosmetics will transfer over when the game is fully released in 2024, but for now, these things are just left up in the air. You can still play the game offline (so it can still be a part of in-person tournaments) and have access to your characters, cosmetics, and the training room.
MultiVersus going offline to improve the quality of the game, netcode, and content cadence is great for casual players who may want to try the game in the future, but it’s not so great for the players who were already dedicated to the game. As someone who plays a lot of free-to-play, live-service games, I am pretty tired of seeing games go free-to-play with the general live-service battlepass system.
Of course, there are some games that have found success with this format, like Warzone, Apex Legends, and Fortnite, and I don’t think that should change. Those formulas work really well for games that have repetitive formats like battle royales. There needs to be regular content drops with new limited time modes (or permanent modes), cosmetic updates, and other seasonal events to keep the game feeling fresh so it’s not so repetitive.
MultiVersus going offline is not so great for the players who were already dedicated to the game.
Yes, I did not include Overwatch 2 as I don’t feel it fits that live-service model very well right now. I’m glad it’s free-to-play but locking characters behind a battlepass is pretty frustrating. I understand there are other ways to unlock that character, like with specific challenges, but it’s not as fast as just unlocking them through the battlepass purchase.
For example, Overwatch’s latest character, Ramattra, was released extremely strong and was available to play in competitive mode. It honestly felt like if you did not have a tank on your team who had unlocked Ramattra, you were bound to lose, or at least have a high likelihood of losing. So you feel pressured to unlock that character the fastest way possible, which is through buying the battlepass. But this makes an uneven battleground for players who may not have the time to grind to unlock new characters or have the money to purchase a battlepass.
Live-service games are fine if the formula can be hit just right with consistent content drops, changes in balancing, and a good offering of cosmetics. But a lot of games now struggle with that cadence, which often leads to the sunsetting of those games. I liked Knock-Out City and I know a lot of people loved Rumbleverse, but they’re part of the unsuccessful crowd that could not figure out a good rhythm to updating the game.
I’ve also personally gotten really tired of trying to keep up with all of the live-service games I have attachments to, especially if I have multiple battlepasses to finish. Keeping up with Apex’s 100-tier battlepass and Warzone’s own 100-tier battlepass is difficult enough and I’m starting to feel that live-service fatigue to the point where I don’t want to get involved in yet another free-to-play live service game. It would likely be the same content for a month or two and I’ll fall off and then come back once a major update is through.
I’m lucky enough to have other games to play and cover for work so I’m never tied down to one thing. It’s just sad to realize that I’m growing more detached from these games that I genuinely like just due to their content format. I will say though that it’s nice to know that the base game stays unchanged and is great to come back to when I’m wanting to revisit it (like battle royale formats).
I feel like we’re at a point in gaming where a majority of players are also very tired of live-service formats and we just want to play a game we’ll enjoy. The fact that most live-service games are free is great, since anyone can play, but the games often just become a bit stale after major season updates and there’s not a lot to make you want to play consistently. And expecting content updates regularly has become a big complaint with the community, especially with live-service games since that’s what the game relies on to stay fresh and replayable.
MultiVersus going offline until next year is a bold move and I’m not sure it’ll pay off. Tekken 8 will be coming out and there really won’t be much space for discussion around MultiVersus with it being basically unplayable for months. The only game that I feel can afford to take a day or two off (or a week at most) is Fortnite because they have really honed in on what makes a live-service game great and how to handle major season turnovers quickly with the least bit of hassle.
The people behind MultiVersus have said they plan to make some major overhauls, so it’s possible it could come back with a big, renewed interest, but they still have to face the issue of setting the pace on when they’ll update their content. This was a pretty big problem in Season 2 where there were very little updates and the player activity dropped 99% on the PC version.
I understand there’s a good market for live-service games and it could be more profitable than a fully-released game with a set price that players can purchase once and be done with. But there’s also value in having a full game at launch that players can rely on to be ready to play. Updates can still be provided with fully released games and reduces pressure to constantly drop new content for devs and players all around.
Hopefully MultiVersus has a great launch, but the decision to take it completely offline really had me thinking about how I feel about live-service games and I’m definitely fatigued with them. There’s certainly a marketplace for free-to-play live-service games to live in the gaming world, but I feel not many developers have been able to find that balance. I genuinely hope the team behind MultiVersus takes this time to consider the game’s future and make a full comeback. But I also want to remind developers there’s nothing wrong with releasing a game with a set price instead of going the free-to-play live-service route.
Following IGN’s report earlier today that E3 has officially been canceled, GamesIndustry.biz has published an interview with ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis in which he was asked about what went wrong with the show and whether or not the show would return in the future — though Pierre-Louis was fairly tight-lipped about the answers to these questions.
When asked what went wrong with the show this year, Pierre-Louis pointed to larger industry challenges that proved “too large to surmount.”
“First, several companies have reported that the timeline for game development has been altered since the start of the COVID pandemic. Second, economic headwinds have caused several companies to reassess how they invest in large marketing events. And third, companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities.”
Later in the interview, Pierre-Louis was asked if ESA members were no longer interested in the event, what E3 would look like if it continued, if E3 needed the three big platform holders to have any chance of success, and if E3 would return in 2024. Pierre-Louis did not provide any direct answers to any of these questions, though he did seem to deny that communication was an issue in setting up E3 2023 (something IGN’s sources have said was a recurring problem). He directly confirmed that the cancellation of E3 would not impact the ESA’s advocacy work for the games industry.
The ESA announced E3 2023’s cancellation to its members earlier today, stating in an email that the 2023 version of the event “simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry,” though it did not mention whether or not the event would return. A press release sent to media following our report said that ReedPop and the ESA would continue to work together on “future E3 events.”
This is the latest in a string of cancellations of what was once the largest event in gaming, following the 2020 cancellation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and another cancellation in 2022 — broken up by a quieter digital event in 2021.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
After over 2 years on the market, the Meta (Oculus) Quest 2 VR headset is still far and away the best value when it comes to VR gaming. For a price that beats every other comparable VR headset out there, it offers a completely tether-free experience, phenomenal inside-out tracking, and a huge library of games. Also, starting August of 2022, you do not need a Facebook account to login to your Quest 2. That was justifiably a sore point for many people and Meta eventually realized that.
The Quest 2 originally started out at $299.99 at launch, but those days are long gone. Last year Meta raised it to $399.99, a rather significant price hike. Fortunately today, there’s a $50 price drop that brings it down to $349.99. The current gen Quest 2 features 128GB of internal storage (compared to 64GB from the OG $299 model) and also includes two games: Golf+ and Space Pirate Trainer DX, both are which are really good.
$50 Off Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset
The Quest 2 is the best VR headset for you to jump into Beat Saber, easily the most successful VR game in history. Beat Saber is a simple rhythm based game that doubles as an outstanding fitness tool. By now there are hundreds of official songs available and the game receives plenty of regular updates. If that’s not enough, there’s a huge modding community out there with access to tens of thousands of user created songs that are every bit as good as the official songs. Beat Saber needs to be purchased separately ($29.99), but really you shouldn’t be getting a VR headset if you don’t get this game.
On a personal note, I own the Oculus Quest 2 specifically for Beat Saber. I purchased the original Rift CV1 headset and a third sensor back in 2016 and since then I’ve clocked almost 1,000 hours in Beat Saber and I’m pretty good at it. In my opinion, the Quest 2’s simple inside out tracking is superior to the original Rift’s 3-sensor setup. In conjunction with the light weight and comfortable ergonomics of the Touch controllers, you can’t really ask for a better control setup for a fast-paced precision game like Beat Saber. I’ve tried other VR headsets and the only other headset that comes close is the Valve Index, and that setup will run you hundreds of dollars more. As someone who plays VR games religiously over PCVR with his RTX 4090 gaming rig, I can say that getting a $1000 VR setup is still not worth it.
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