Category: IGN

Helldivers 2’s highly anticipated 01.000.4000 patch is finally here, bringing with it a mass of gameplay tweaks, balance updates, and fixes to the popular co-operative shooter, along with invite-only lobby creation, and a big change to the galactic map.

Today’s update seed the introduction of a number of buffs for the game’s weaker stratagems in an attempt to increase their viability, including the Orbital Gatling Cannon, which is now capable of softening up heavily armored targets. Others were tweaked to make their performance more consistent, such as the Eagle 110mm rocket pod stratagem.

The update also makes the supply lines that connect worlds visible on the galactic map, allowing players to see where an invading faction is launching an attack from. Super Samples have also been made available during ‘extreme’ difficulty 6 missions, which will give players who are uncomfortable playing at higher difficulties the opportunity to upgrade ship modules using the resource.

Extreme weather events have also been adjusted on some planets, making fog less dense, and the paths of fire tornados more random, which will hopefully prevent them from transforming extraction points into a burning hellscape. Artificial lighting surrounding human outposts has also been adjusted to make it less distracting to the player, who also now has the option of hiding in large patches of vegetation to make themselves less visible to enemy patrols. On that note, patrol spawning has been rolled back to how it worked prior to patch 01.000.300 following feedback from the community.

Invite only lobbies have also been introduced, alongside a slew of fixes that address UI issues, crashes, and gameplay bugs, including one that allowed players to throw an infinite number of grenades by pressing the quick grenade button after closing the stratagem select menu. The devs have also remedied a bug that allowed the shuttle to take damage during extraction at the end of a game.

Arrowhead’s mysterious game master – known only as Joel – recently handed down a new major order to Helldivers 2 players on the behalf of Super Earth that came with a serious moral dilemma. Players have been given the choice of saving the world of Marfark, which would unlock the MD-17 Anti-Tank stratagem, or of protecting the planet Vernen Wells, which would net them zero stratagems but would ensure the safety of the digital civilian survivors that are trapped inside a childrens hospital. With two days left to go, it would seem that the overwhelming majority of players have opted to save the children, with Vernen Wells currently sitting on a 41 percent liberation rating, relative to Marfark’s 0.14 percent.

This week has also seen the release of the new jungle-themed Viper Commandos premium warbond, which adds new armor and weapons to Helldivers 2, while also introducing the first cosmetic skins that can be used to customise hellpods, exosuits, and extraction shuttles. Arrowhead recently announced that it had chosen to “focus on quality over quantity” when it comes to upcoming warbonds, opting to slow its release cadence in order to ensure more time to polish designs prior to release.

Check out the patch notes below for a full list of all the changes introduced in the new update.

Helldivers 2 update 01.000.400 patch notes in full:

Overview

For this patch, some of the major areas of interest are

• Visible Supply Lines & Attack Origins in the Galactic War.
• Stratagem, weapon, planet, and enemy balancing updates.
• Various crash fixes, stability improvements, and other updates.
• Invite-only lobby creation.
  The right most option in the Lobby settings. Currently only localized in English. Additional languages coming in the next patch

Balancing

Goal with stratagem balance changes this patch:

With these balance changes we wanted to buff up some of the weaker stratagems to make them more viable and add more possibility for variety in the loadouts. We also changed a few to make them more consistent, but the goal was to keep a similar or higher power level.

We are looking into the stratagems more to see if there are any other stratagems that might need some buffs or changes to make them more viable. We also want to be better at explaining what our goals are with the changes, please see the linked blog post for more information.

A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry

• Decreased spread
• Prioritize larger targets
• Increased target distance from 75 to 100m
• Decreased Rockets per salvo 2 to 1 (to get a better ammo economy)
• Increased explosion radius from 1m to 4m
• Decreased explosion armor penetration (Explosion can no longer damage heavy armored enemies. The projectile still has enough AP to damage heavily armored targets.)
• Increased projectile damage from 200 to 300

A/MG-43 Machine gun sentry

• Reduced cooldown from 180 sec to 120 sec.

A/MG-43 Machine gun Sentry, A/G-16 Gatling Sentry, A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry, A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry, A/M-12 Mortar Sentry, A/M-23 EMS Mortar Sentry:

• Increased durability* from 0% to 80%

E/MG-101 HMG Emplacement

• Increased rotation speed by 100%

MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield

• Increased explosion damage from 250 to 350

MD-I4 Incendiary Mines

• Increased explosion damage from 150 to 210

Orbital Gatling

• Increased fire rate by 25%
• Increased rounds per salvo from 30 to 60
• Increased armor penetration (Can damage heavy armored enemies)
• Decreased cooldown from 80 sec to 70 sec

Orbital Precision strike

• Decreased cooldown from 100 sec to 90 sec
• Decreased Spawn/Call-in time from 4 sec to 2 sec

Orbital Airburst Strike

• Decreased cooldown from 120 sec to 100 sec

Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods

While these changes may look like a straight up nerf, that is not the intention. Please see the blogpost for more information.

• Improved targeting
• Increased projectile armor penetration (now does 100% damage to heavily armored enemies instead of 50%)
• Decreased projectile damage 600 to 250 (to compensate for the improved targeting and the extra damage from the increased armor penetration.)
• Decreased explosion armor penetration (explosion can no longer damage heavily armored enemies)

Eagle Strafing Run

• Increased uses from 3 to 4
• Increased armor penetration, can now damage heavily armored enemies.

GL-21 Grenade Launcher

• Increased explosion damage by from 350 to 400

MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun

• Increased projectile damage from 100 to 150
• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 23% to 33%
• Decreased fire rate from 450/750/900 to 450/600/750
• Decreased reload time from 7 to 5.5 sec
• Increased stagger strength

MG-43 Machine Gun

• Decreased reload time from 4 to 3.5 seconds
• Increased max amount of Magazines from 3 to 4

MG-43 Machine Gun, A/MG-43 Machine gun Sentry, A/G-16 Gatling Sentry and EXO-45 Patriot Exosuits Gatling

• Increased projectile damage from 80 to 90
• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 7.5% to 25%

AR-23 Liberator, M-105 Stalwart and AX/AR-23 “Guard dog”

• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 10% to 23%

AR-23C Liberator Concussive

• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 23% to 35%

BR-14 Adjudicator

• Increased magazine capacity from 25 to 30
• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 10% to 20%

AR-61 Tenderizer

• Increased projectile damage from 60 to 95
• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 10% to 17%
• Decreased ammo capacity from 35 to 30
• Decreased number of magazines from 10 to 8
• Increased stagger strength

PLAS-101 Purifier

• Increased projectile armor penetration to be the same as the explosion
• Decreased explosion damage falloff

CB-9 Explosive Crossbow

• Increased explosion armor penetration to be the same as the projectile
• Increased demolition strength (Can destroy Bug holes and Bot Fabricator buildings)
• Added medium penetration tag

R-36 Eruptor

• Increased total damage from 420 to 570 damage per shot

R-63 Diligence

• Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 10% to 25%

* Some enemies have durable body parts that receive only a portion of base damage from projectiles

Other

• Updated Recoil stance modifiers: We made changes to the recoil stance modifiers to make them more consistent and also reward being prone more. Almost all of them will improve the recoil and only a two have been made worse (and only by 10%).

See the blogpost for a more detailed description.

Gameplay

General

Removed operation modifier AA-Defenses: Reducing the stratagem slots by 1

• We want to look over the operation modifiers in the future. Right now there are too few of them which become repetitive and the ones we have do not create variety or promote different playstyles. For now, we removed this one because it only encourages the players to bring the best stratagems and does not promote variety

Disabled the Retrieve Essential Personnel defend event mission for the time being

• This is to give the mission the proper attention and care that it deserves as it is now deemed not fun enough or performing as we want it to.

Super Samples

• Super samples now spawn on difficulty 6. The reason for this change is that we feel that their existence only on difficulty 7+ forced some players to play the game on a harder difficulty than they wanted to comfortably play on. We do however still want a gating of them but a less punishing one.

• The SEAF Artillery stratagem is no longer blocked by stratagem jammers or Ion Storms, and is available after the mission timer ends and the destroyer leaves close orbit.

• Enemies in melee range of the gates in the Evacuate High-Value Assets mission will now attack it more consistently.

• Added the ability to chat from in-game menus and mission loading screen.

• Updated some first person crosshairs to improve readability.

Social

• Invite-Only lobbies are now supported

Armors

• New armor passive Peak Physique (+50% melee damage, +30% weapon ergonomics)

Planets & Hazards

Spike Plant

• The spike plant that appears on certain planets has been reworked.
• No longer causes bleed or stamina drain if hit by the plant explosion or spikes.
• Now “pops” three times sending spikes everywhere, dealing increased damage.

Fire Tornados

• Fire tornados have had their behavior changed, they should no longer feel like they actively respond to player movement, and should move more randomly.
• While a fire tornado storm takes place, enemy vision is reduced. Player vision is unaffected.

*Fire tornados being more random should result in more variance in situations players find themselves in. Tornados are significantly less likely to pile up and overlap on extraction points or objectives, and will generally be a bit easier to deal with.

Tremors

• Tremors have had their spawning tweaked to be slightly more random.
• Tremors have had their epicenter size and effect range increased.

*These changes should result in more situations where enemies away from the player get stunned, as well as reducing how consistently the player has a tremor occur next to them.

Ion Storms

• Added additional VFX for Ion Storms.

Visibility

A lot of planets have had their fog amounts tweaked to be a bit less harsh and dense, to provide less fatigue from constantly fighting on planets with bad visibility. We still intend there to be foggy planets with worse visibility, but the balance was a bit off.

• Desert planets such as Erata Prime, Chort Bay, Hellmire, and similar.
• Highlands planets such as Varylia 5, Matar Bay, Oshaune, and similar.
• Artificial light sources have had their intensity rebalanced and reduced across the board to fix situations of lights completely blinding the player.

Unexploded Hellbomb

• The unexploded malfunctioning hellbombs that can sometimes be found on planets will now explode immediately if hit with strong explosions or heavy weaponry. They will still have the same delay if hit by small arms fire or weaker attacks.

Vegetation

• Vegetation that’s large enough to slow the player now has an extra function. When inside the vegetation helldivers will be harder to detect, reducing their detection range by enemies. This effect stacks with other detection reducing effects such as nighttime, being crouched or prone, or things such as the scout armor passive.

Enemies

Acid Effect

• The acid effect applied by hunters, bug mines, etc. now allows you to sprint while under the effect and slows you by 30% instead of 50%. Duration has been increased from 3 to 4 seconds. These changes are intended to make it less punishing for players to be slowed while fighting the Terminids, This allows us to use it in more places without making the experience very punishing, for example the Bile Spewers.

Armored enemy balance

• We have toned down the amount of heavily armored enemies like Bile Titans, Chargers on higher difficulties and instead spawn more hordes of smaller enemies, the difference should be quite noticeable and the amount should be at least 30% less than before during bug breaches. We have also toned down slightly how many Hulks that spawn for the Automatons. Our intent is to ease up on the demand of anti-tank weapons and by having more of the other enemies give a better incentive for the group to bring stratagems and weapons that take care of hordes.

Patrols

• Patrol spawning is now back to how it worked before patch 01.000.300 with some slight tweaks so that the levels are less empty if you are far away from important locations with enemy presence.

Stunning

• Medium and large sized enemies now don’t get stunned as easily. This will not affect the stratagems that stun, and will mostly just affect how easily the Pummeler can stun larger enemies

Terminids

Bile Spewer and Nursing Spewer

• Spewers will now get slowed if they lose their legs.
• Spewer puke now applies the acid effect.
• Spewer puke now can only damage helldivers up to 4 times per second and the helldiver cannot take damage multiple times from the same projectile. This should reduce instances where you are instantly killed by it.

Bile Titan

• The Bile Titan’s head is slightly less durable against weaker anti-tank weapons. It’s not a large change, and will mostly matter for weapons like the railgun.
• The Bile Titan’s puke can now only damage the helldiver 4 times per second and the helldiver cannot take damage multiple times from the same projectile. The damage is still very deadly so running through their puke is not recommended. Their puke now also has a bigger spread.

Charger Behemoth

• The Charger Behemoth is now joining the battle on higher difficulties, it can now also take more damage than before. This enables us to spawn fewer chargers but still retain the difficulty.

Chargers

• Will now only show bleedout effects from the body if the bleedout state has started. It can still show bleedout effects from the mouth without having started the bleedout state.

Automatons

Hulk Scorcher

• The Hulk’s flamethrower now does less damage and cannot damage helldivers more than 4 times per second. In addition, the helldiver cannot be damaged multiple times by the same flame projectile. This should reduce instances where you are instantly killed by it.

Automaton Tanks

• The Tank armor value on the front has been lowered to be the same as the non-vent sections on the rear of the tank. The intent was initially that it was supposed to be more armored in the front, but the visual language did not show that.
• The vents on the back of the Tanks turret still has the same armor value as before, but will check for explosion directions correctly now.

• The damage of exploding automaton jump packs has been decreased by 50%, it will still set you on fire though.

Galactic War

Introducing Supply Lines & Origin of Attacks

Supply lines were previously not shown on the Galactic War map to reduce clutter and improve readability. However based on the feedback from our community we have made an implementation showing them on the map. This solution tries to maintain the general readability while still exposing the system to players in game.

You will now also be able to see which planet an attack is originating from, potentially allowing for the community to stop the attack at its source. We have also updated visuals in the sector and planet info pop-ups.

Fixes

• The FAF-14 Spear targeting has been reworked and should now function much better. However it has lost the ability to target Automaton Spawners, this is not intended and will be fixed in the future.

Intense Heat and Extreme Cold environmental modifiers will now affect the Quasar Cannon’s reload speed and will show correctly in the HUD.

• Reload speed on Cold planets -2.5 sec
• Reload speed on Hot planets +2.5 sec
• The radar pulse that detects enemies on the mini-map is now visible.
• Most of Automatons weapons have now gotten tighter limits to how much the projectile they shoot can deviate from its weapons muzzle angle. What this means is that situations where devastators shoot sideways and similar should be fixed.
• The weapons of the Exosuits are now allowed small adjustments in the angle they fire their projectiles versus their muzzle angle. This should make their weapons more accurate.
• Ballistic shield now collides with grenades.
• The unblock button should no longer disappear from the social menu.
• Blocked players can no longer join the blockers lobby through recent players.
• Fixed a bug where enemies killed, missions played, and missions completed stats would not be properly displayed in armory.
• Fixed issue where the player can throw an unlimited amount of grenades by pressing the “Quick grenade” button right after closing the Stratagem menu.
• Helldiver now also switches to the last active weapon when out of grenades, fixing the issue where they would be holding a stratagem ball without the stratagem menu being open.
• Fixed some text overlap in various locations.
• The burning effect applied to the player when a combat walker dies is now a normal burn. The intent is that you should be able to escape it alive. But you will be on fire so hit the ground!
• The extraction shuttle can no longer take damage preventing extraction. New high grade materials directly from Super Earth R&D have been utilized.
• On PC you can now navigate the super credits menu with “WASD” keys
• Fixed an issue where sample count in missions were incorrectly displayed
• Levels no longer generate with blocked areas preventing player progression.
• Your Ships bridge is no longer cast in perpetual shadow.
• Reduced situations where blue stratagems would bounce when placed next to the detector tower.
• The warbond menu now displays correct emote & victory poses in the thumbnail.
• War Medals cap is now displayed in the UI.
• Fixed a bug where the Helldivers armor could appear invisible for other players.
• Refined player reporting UI.
• Fixed issue where Helldivers could be launched into the air if close to a Bile Titan or Factory Strider corpse.
• Fix for Factory Strider sometimes spawned an extra model after being destroyed.
• Reduced situations where helldivers could spontaneously die while walking into seemingly walkable valleys on some planets.
• Fixed rare issue on arctic planets where players could spontaneously die close to large bodies of water.
• Fixed Pelican-1 sometimes leaving immediately after any player gets onboard.
• Fixed bug where helldiver could get stuck in grenade idle state after throwing grenades
• Fix Superior Packing Methodology not working for other peers.
• Recent Players list will now include hot-joining players.
• Relaxed disconnection policy for PC users.
• Fixed an issue where previous sessions’ player names might not be saved correctly when restarting.
• Defend event attack origin now visualized when hovering the planet with the defend event or the attack origin planet.
• Implemented outlines for previously poorly readable texts.

Crash Fixes

• General crash fixes.
• Fix for a crash that could occur when applying wounds to multiple enemies.
• PlayStation Only: Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause a crash when switching between Quality and Performance mode.
• Fix for a crash when a player leaves after all their railguns have exploded.
• Fix for crash that could occur when rejoining a previous session
• Fix for crash that occurred when trying to throw a snowball in ADS mode
• Fix for potential crash when loadout is aborted during hotjoin.
• Fix for rare crash linked to leaving a session while aiming a weapon.

Known Issues

These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed.

• Sending friend requests via friend code in game currently does not work.
• Players may be unable to be joined or invited to the game.
• Players added to the ‘Recent Players’ list will appear in the middle of the list.
• Players may experience delays in Medals and Super Credits payouts.
• Spear targeting is unable to target Automaton Spawners.
• Enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions.
• Arc weapons sometimes behave inconsistently and sometimes misfire.
• Most weapons shoot below the crosshair when aiming down the sights.
• Plasma Punisher is unable to shoot out of the shield generators.
• Stratagem beam might attach itself to an enemy but it will deploy to its original location.
• Helldiver may be unable to stand up from crouching when surrounded by enemies.
• “Hand Carts” ship module does not reduce Shield Generator Pack’s cooldown.
• Bile Titan sometimes does not take damage to the head.
• Charger’s butt does not take damage from explosions.
• Players may become stuck in the Loadout when joining a game in progress.
• Reinforcement may not be available for players who join a game in progress.
• Planet liberation reaches 100% at the end of every Defend mission.
• “Raise Flag of Super Earth” objective does not show a progress bar.
• Mission count in the Career tab is being reset to zero after every game restart.
• Some weapons’ descriptions are out-of-date and don’t reflect their current design.
• BR-14 Adjudicator has incorrect recoil values

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Elden Ring has sold 25 million units ahead of its expansion Shadow of the Erdtree launching on June 21, 2024, developer FromSoftware has announced.

In a post on X/Twitter, the colossal 25 million units sold milestone was revealed alongside a thank you to fans who have purchased the game. Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco announced the game crossed 23 million units sold in March 2024, meaning it’s grown another two million in less than three months.

This all comes ahead of what will likely be another sales boost for the game too when its only expansion Shadow of the Erdtree launches.

『ELDEN RING』の世界累計出荷本数が2,500万本を突破しました。本作をプレイしてくださった皆さん、本当にありがとうございます。 pic.twitter.com/E9mTgNtRfS

— FROMSOFTWARE (@fromsoftware_pr) June 12, 2024

The downloadable content is set to add a wealth of new content to the beloved role-playing game. Just like previous FromSoftware games Dark Souls and Bloodborne, however, accessing the DLC isn’t as simple as selecting it on a menu, as players must tick off a handful of obscure feats beforehand, including beating an optional boss.

The new map, story, bosses, and items are sure to add more intrigue to the almost mythical status of Elden Ring though, which proved somewhat of a cultural phenomenon when it launched in 2022. Players sought out a ton of different ways to interact with the game, such as using a Fisher Price toy or the Nintendo Switch Ring Fit controller to play it, and someone even made a working VR version.

Many are therefore waiting with bated breath for the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, which will likely add hundreds, if not thousands, of new secrets and story threads to be discovered. In fact, even its release date announcement drew hoards of players back to the Elden Ring.

In our 10/10 review, IGN said: “Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path.”

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

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. Deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby. One of our favorite deals at the moment is this excellent Game Pass deal at Woot, but there are plenty more to check out. Whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below. And if you’ve taken advantage of lots of these deals, see our roundup on game storage ideas.

TL;DR – Our Favorite Video Game Deals

Best Xbox Game Pass Deal

Xbox Game Pass has been discounted once again, providing another opportunity for users to stack their membership at a discounted rate. Woot (an Amazon company) currently has 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes down to $11.79, and 3-month codes for $34.49. These are significant discounts, and monumentally cheaper than compared to paying the default $17.99/month.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Physical Edition) Preorder

While waiting for Nintendo’s Switch successor, you can enjoy some absolute classics with the Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. This is a collection of over 150 challenges from 13 different NES games that’s coming exclusively to Switch on July 18, and you can preorder it today. We’ve included links to the physical edition’s preorder below, but if you’re looking for even more information on digital editions, check out our Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition preorder guide.

• Get it at Best Buy – $59.99
• Get it at GameStop – $59.99
• Get it at Target – $59.99

PlayStation Portal Is Finally Back In Stock

There are some amazing PS5 deals to check out right now, but more importantly, the PlayStation Portal, a surprise hit and Sony’s newest handheld device, is back in stock at Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon from $199. The stock shortage might finally be over for the PS Portal. See our PlayStation Portal review here for even more info on the handheld PS5 accessory.

Best PC Game Deals

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

More PC Game Deals:

Back to Top

Best Physical Game Deals: Prince of Persia is Down to $30

If you’re looking to pick up some physical games for your preferred platform, there are quite a few deals to check out at the moment. One of our favorites is on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for PS5, which is down 40% to just $29.98 right now at Amazon. You can see even more of our favorite game deals below.

• Rise of the Ronin (PS5) for $49.99
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5) for $49.99
• Super Mario RPG (Switch) for $39.95
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch) for $47.39
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Xbox Series X) for $27.99
• Starfield (Xbox Series X) for $29.98

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4080 SUPER Gaming PC for $2,299.99 + 34″ QD OLED Gaming Monitor for $499

Do you prefer to play on a dedicated tower? Navigating the options online can be quite the ordeal. Desk space, portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on this Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4080 SUPER Gaming PC, which is available for $2,299.99, but you can also add on a discounted Alienware AW3423DWF 34″ QD OLED gaming monitor for an extra $499, bringing it up to $2798.99 total. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.

More PC Deals:

Back to Top

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

The best Switch or Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it was recently revealed a Switch successor will be announced within the fiscal year. Therefore, you’re going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That’s a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we’ve left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience. To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.

More SD Card Deals

Our Favorite Power Bank for Steam Deck is Discounted Right Now

Some excellent power banks are discounted at the moment that are perfectly portable and packing plenty of power to keep you going. In particular, the fantastic Anker Prime Power Bank is down to $88.95. This is a great discount on a reliable power bank that likely won’t last long, so grab it at this price while you can!

Meta Quest 2 (128GB) is Down to $199

Amazon is offering a very nice discount at the moment on the 128GB Meta Quest 2. This is one of the best Meta Quest deals available right now, and well worth considering for anyone interested in VR. Normally, this VR headset retails for $249.99, but you can grab it for $199 right now, which is a great price for such a high-quality headset. We gave it a 9/10 in our review back when it was released, stating that it “improves an already amazing VR headset with better resolution, refresh rate, and a lower price tag.”

Perfect PS5 2TB SSD for $149.99 at Amazon

Right now, Amazon has the WD_Black 2TB SN850X SSD available for just $149.99. Normally priced at $189.99, this 2TB SSD features speeds up to 7,300MB/s to ensure your games load as fast as possible. This model will work with PS5, but you will need to purchase a heatsink to go with it (which you can do here for just $9). To see even more of the best SSD deals, check out our roundup of the best PS5 2TB SSD deals. Otherwise, you can see some more of our favorite picks below.

Steam Deck Internal SSD: Big Discount on the WD_BLACK SSD

If a micro SD card deal isn’t floating your boat for Steam Deck, how about a new internal SSD instead? The WD_BLACK 1TB SN770M M.2 2230 NVMe SSD is currently down to $99.99, which is a nice 23% discount from its $129.99 MSRP.

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

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

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

Steps:

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

Back to Top

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

What matters most to any given shooter can vary wildly. Sometimes it’s the hardcore tactical play of games like Hell Let Loose, or the careful competitive balance in options like Counter-Strike. Other times it’s the rich world and lovable characters that help Overwatch shine. For Star Wars: Hunters, the main focus seems to be on having some quick, lighthearted fun in the Star Wars universe. This free-to-play hero shooter from developer Zynga is an enjoyable way to pass the time with friends, but a subpar competitive scene and uninspired progression rewards leave it too shallow to hold my interest for the long haul.

Star Wars: Hunters doesn’t have the over-the-top destructibility of The Finals, nor the high speed parkour of Apex Legends – it’s a much more conventional hero shooter in the vein of Team Fortress 2, where two teams of bespoke characters (in this case called Hunters) participate in pure player-versus-player shootouts. The most notable way it sets itself apart from other shooters is its Star Wars coat of paint, which it puts to good use. Classic Star Wars music is equal parts nostalgic and exciting, while familiar locations like an Ewok Village or Imperial Starship do a great job of placing the action a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, especially when the blaster bolts start flying and the Wookies start howling.

It feels like the philosophy behind the character designs and writing was “just have fun with it.” For example, one of my favorite heroes is Utooni, who is literally just two Jawa’s in a trenchcoat. Another is J-3DI, a droid simulating the combat style of a Jedi by wielding a lightsaber and using a grappling hook to faux force pull enemies closer. Even the play-by-play announcers contribute to that lighthearted Star Wars vibe – one hilarious bit of commentary talks about the action being sponsored by a new TV series on remembering Alderaan, but makes sure to remind any comedians watching at home that it is always too soon for Alderean jokes.

There are 13 playable characters at launch, with a good mix of unique personalities and abilities across them. Imara Vex, for instance, is a classic Star Wars bounty hunter with skills that focus on mobility and firepower, while Grozz is a massive club-wielding Wookie that lacks range but has an enormous amount of health. That variety of weapons and powers is effective at making each character unique in how they play, which also makes it exciting to swap between them and learn their differences.

Matches, on the other hand, are pretty simple and straightforward, though still enjoyable overall. There are four game types, including a simple team deathmatch option called Squad Battle and a basic point-capture mode called Power Control, and they will all be very familiar to anyone who has played a PvP shooter before. Matches are short, roughly five minutes each, which makes sense since Hunters is only currently available on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices – but that also means they rarely have room for a lot of back and forth swings or come from behind drama. You can still be strategic and do things like hide healers behind tankier units, but there simply isn’t a lot of time for counter-strategies to play out. This is speed checkers, not chess.

That may sound overly simplistic, but Hunters manages to be a lot of fun by still having nuance where it counts. Each character generally falls into a Tank, Damage, or Support archetype – they are more effective when used in their assigned roles, but anyone can start blasting (or smashing) and knock out some opponents. That strikes a great middle ground of being balanced enough that skilled play will win most fights, but loose enough with abilities and supers that anyone can rack up kills in quick bursts of chaos.

Playing enough casual matches will eventually unlock a Ranked playlist. This features all the same maps and game modes, but with a sweatier emphasis on winning, as the results now determine whether you move up or down the rankings from Bronzium to Kyber tiers). Unfortunately, this tends to funnel competitive teams toward some specific team compositions, as tightly grouped, tank-heavy squads currently dominate the battlefield. Sentinel in particular, with his shield, heavy repeater, and ability to knock enemies off of their feet, is almost mandatory, for example. Having to choose between the joy of wielding a lightsaber and having a realistic shot at beating a good team is a shame.

At least either option is more fun with a full squad of buddies – I just wish the Social menu, where you find friends and create teams, wasn’t locked until you’ve completed three tutorial matches and eight real games after that. “Sorry this is proving to be a pain” is an unfortunate thing to have to say when you are trying to play some quick rounds with a friend who is just starting out. It’s an unfortunate barrier, because once you can play with friends, it is a joy to do so. I appreciate how simple it is to form squads (you know, once it lets you at all), and it’s a hilarious good time to shout at your tank friend to stand still so you can shoot him full of health-restoring needles during a chaotic battle.

Because Hunters is free-to-play, as is often the case, it has a mix of free and premium currencies that dictate a lot of the progress you’ll make towards unlockables and vanity items. New characters are unlocked using Crystals, which are earned in small amounts after each match, but you can (of course) expedite the process by buying them outright for real money. In the early going, new Hunters become available at a reasonable clip, but it does slow down with each one you purchase. By the time you unlock half the roster, it slows to a painful crawl. I understand the value of giving players something to strive toward, but at a certain point it starts to feel more coercive than aspirational, which is a problem.

Meanwhile, Credits are used on cosmetic items and are exclusively free, earned by playing matches and completing additional challenges. I appreciate the way your list of challenges is constantly being pecked away at in the background, giving me some added incentive to mix up who I played as since many of them focus on dealing damage with specific characters. But it’s too bad there are so few things you can actually buy with Credits. It’s normal to see dozens of items for sale on the front page of the shop, with only a few that can be purchased with Credits as opposed to Crystals, which makes them a bit pointless in practice.

In terms of XP, it comes in two forms. First, there’s Fame, which applies to specific Hunters. Like Credits, playing matches and checking off challenges adds Fame to a specific character, and every level up brings with it a reward. Some are purely cosmetic, like weapon skins and stickers. Others upgrade skills in small but meaningful ways: When Diago the Sharpshooter hits Fame level 2, for example, the damage to his proximity mines increases. The amount is small enough to not make higher level characters outright overpowered, but still substantial enough that leveling up feels exciting. It’s a good mix, and having a path for each Hunter to climb feels like a solid overall goal to work on for the short term, but the unremarkable weapons skins and stickers aren’t nearly as interesting.

Lastly, there’s the Arena Pass, a straightforward battle pass that rewards Credits, Crystals, and cosmetic items. Unfortunately, the rewards just aren’t very appealing. Turning my gun a different color isn’t exciting, and the amount of Crystals you get are too little to make a dent in the costs to expedite unlocking new characters. Annoyingly, most levels won’t even get you anything unless you pay around $10 USD for the All-Access pass. This is also how you unlock Aran Tal, a damage focused Mandalorian Hunter that is exclusive to All-Access pass holders. It’s another area where Star Wars: Hunters straddles the line between persuasive and problematic monetization.

At least it’s not a terribly complicated progression economy, but it can sometimes feel like it thanks to a really rough interface between matches. The home screen is jarringly overloaded, with far too many windows, tabs, and submenus. Claiming rewards for progress can happen in several different places, often in menus within menus within menus. It’s especially tough because the UI only subtly highlights whatever you have selected, which can make it hard to see what you’re actually about to click.

Sony has announced the new PlayStation Plus additions for June 2024, revealing the list of new games for Extra and Premium subscribers to enjoy starting next week.

As promised in a PlayStation.Blog post, the titles, which include highlights like Monster Hunter Rise, Crusader Kings 3, and a selection of Lego games, will be available on June 18. It’s a group of offerings that range from new releases to older PlayStation classics, totaling in 14 new games for the PlayStation Plus catalog.

Options for subscribers also include sports titles like Football Manager 2024 as well as PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of 2006’s PSP spinoff, Daxter. You can see the full list of titles below:

PlayStation Plus Games Catalog Additions for June 2024

• Monster Hunter Rise | PS4, PS5
• Football Manager 2024 | PS5
• Crusader Kings 3 | PS5
• Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6 | PS4, PS5
• After Us | PS5
• Anno 1800 | PS5
• Police Simulator: Patrol Officers | PS4, PS5
• Far Cry 4 | PS4
• LEGO The Hobbit | PS4
• LEGO The Incredibles | PS4

PlayStation Plus PS VR2 Games Catalog Additions for June 2024

• Kayak VR: Mirage | PS VR 2

PlayStation Plus Classic Games Catalog Additions for June 2024

• LEGO Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy | PS4, PS5
• Ghosthunter | PS4, PS5
• Daxter | PS4, PS5

Monster Hunter Rise is Capcom’s most recent entry in its massively popular action RPG franchise. It originally launched for Nintendo Switch in 2021 but eventually came to PlayStation and Xbox consoles in 2023. We gave it an 8/10 in our review, and with Monster Hunter Wilds on the horizon, now is the perfect time to jump into the series.

Football Manager 2024 is Sega’s 2023 installment in its sports management series. For more, you can watch its announcement trailer here.

In our 10/10 review of Crusader Kings 3, we said, “Crusader King 3 takes the throne as the new king of historical strategy by expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique.”

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6 is Milestone’s 2023 take on the adrenaline-pumping motocross series. We listed it as one of the biggest video game releases in March of last year. For more you can watch its announcement trailer here.

We called After Us “mediocre,” giving it a 5/10 in our review. At the time, we said, “After Us has a wordless story that doesn’t effectively communicate its environmentalist themes and platforming that frustrates with unreliable controls, but it does look fantastic.”

Anno 1800 is Ubisoft’s 2019 city-building strategy sim set during the Industrial Revolution. We gave it an 8.1/10 in our review, saying, “Anno 1800 returns to the roots of the real-time colony-builder series and delivers intimidatingly complex gameplay that’s as marvelous as it is beautiful.”

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers launched in 2022 and comes from developer Aesir Interactive and publisher Astragon Entertainment. For more you can watch its reveal trailer here.

Far Cry 4 followed up Ubisoft’s trend-setting Far Cry 3 with an action-adventure story set in the snowy open world of Kyrat. It had a lot to live up to, but we still managed to give it an 8.5/10 in our review back in 2014. At the time, we said, “Far Cry 4 has weak characters, but its campaign, co-op, and competitive multiplayer feature incredibly fun freedom.”

LEGO The Hobbit is TT Games’ 2014 fantasy brick-building spinoff and takes players into a more family friendly version of Bilbo Baggins’ journey through Middle-earth. We called it a “fun and charming extension” of The Hobbit films in our 7.4/10 review.

Like its Hobbit-centered counterpart, LEGO The Incredibles follows Disney and Pixar’s family-focused superhero film. The TT Games release launched in 2018, and you can learn more about how it brought the film into the world of LEGO video games by watching its launch trailer here.

Kayak VR: Mirage gives PS VR 2 owners unique outdoor environments to race and explore through. Its free roam mode also gives players the option to soak in all of the locations it has to offer at their own pace.

Walmart is currently offering a PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Edition Console bundled with the Spider-Man 2 game for only $449 shipped. This was the same deal we saw back during Black Friday, but it’s currently unavailable everywhere else. Some merchants have the PS5 console for $450, but doesn’t include the game.

PS5 Slim Spider-Man 2 Disc Edition Console for $449

The PS5 Slim was release in November 2023. Compared to the original PlayStation 5 console, it’s 30% smaller in volume and 18% lighter. The design is a bit different too; the console is now clad in four separate cover panels, the two top halves are glossy white and the bottom halves are matte like the original. The specs under the hood are identical. Like the original PS5, the PS5 Slim can be upgraded with an M.2 SSD. A horizontal stand is included. You’d have to buy a vertical stand separately, however you might not need it because the PS5 Slim can stand on its own.

The best thing about this new PS5 Slim bundle is that you get a copy of the Spider-Man 2 game for free. This is an excellent PS5 exclusive and we gave it an 8/10 in our review.

Looking for more deals on accessorie sand games? Check out the best PS5 deals today.

Earlier this week, I had the chance to go hands-on with LEGO Horizon Adventures. Alongside all my other praise for this game, I really loved the immense level of detail put into making each and every LEGO brick component. That’s not a coincidence, either, as it turns out the entire world is made out of individual bricks in a way that could apparently be reconstructed in real life from actual physical LEGO sets.

Speaking to me at Summer Game Fest Play Days over the weekend, Guerrilla Games narrative director James Windeler told me about how this strange collaboration between Guerrilla and LEGO came about. Guerrilla had originally prototyped Horizon: Zero Dawn’s robot dinosaurs in DUPLO and had a lot of interest in model building. The team wanted to make something more lighthearted for its next project. And then there was that LEGO Tallneck collaboration from a few years back. On the LEGO side, LEGO really liked that the Horizon games had bright colors and optimistic themes, as well as a relatively inclusive fanbase. Put it all together, and it’s no wonder the two companies came to an understanding.

Most LEGO games up to now have been made by what is now called TT Games, but TT isn’t involved with this one. Instead, co-development group Studio Gobo and LEGO are working with Guerrilla Games, which itself has assembled a team including a number of individuals who worked on the original Zero Dawn. Windeler tells me many of them have had kids since Zero Dawn released, and those kids are now reaching an age where their parents want to play video games with them. Hence, Horizon Adventures’ co-op feature.

But a different team also means different approaches and capabilities, and for Guerrilla in particular that meant really sweating the LEGO details. Windeler says the team wanted Horizon Adventures to feel like a “playable LEGO movie,” and notes that every single asset in the game is “built from an individual [LEGO] brick.”

“It’s designed by master builders,” he says. “All of these things, from the coolest elements of Horizon, the majestic nature, the machines, the characters, they’re all following the rules of physical LEGO. So even though they’re made as digital assets, you could build them technically out of physical sets…And it also extends to the animation style and the way that the characters move in the game. There’s this kind of stop-motion of all of the characters. Yeah, it’s like a toy. ‘Toyetic’ was a word that was thrown around a lot as a target, and it’s the idea that you’re playing potentially with your own figurines.”

What Windeler is describing certainly showed in my hands-on time with the game. I pointed out that when characters fall off a high ledge, they humorously plop down flat like a LEGO shoved off a shelf. Then they quickly pop back up and trot off again with the jerky motions of a child walking a LEGO character around on a play mat. There are other little nods like that to the overall feel of playing with LEGOs – for instance, when I rescued some Nora villagers in my demo, there were a few generic LEGO people mixed in with the Horizon-themed costumes. What was that about?

“When you’re a kid, when you’re playing LEGO, with LEGO, you’re not necessarily building this completely unified world,” Windeler explains. “You’re using the LEGO that you have from your set.” Fair enough.

Windeler can’t comment on whether or not the very real buildability of LEGO Horizon Adventures means more LEGO Horizon sets are on the way, nor can he speak for whether or not other PlayStation IP will get LEGO games. He does tell me that LEGO Horizon Adventures’ story is about seven to eight hours long, and will have a replayable element at the end that will allow players to revisit regions they’d previously visited and unlock more customizations and other things. As Windeler told me, Horizon Adventures isn’t supposed to be a 20+ hour adventure the way Horizon: Zero Dawn was. It’s loosely based on Zero Dawn, but it’s meant to be digestible for everyone – not just ten hours of in-jokes for existing fans of Horizon.

“There’s tons of nods, and I mentioned iconic scenes that we’ve reinterpreted that will be recognizable and hopefully joyful to a fan of the series, but at the same time, we want people to come in who have no Horizon knowledge.”

For more details on LEGO Horizon Adventures, you can check out our full hands-on preview. We also played the new Astro Bot game at the same PlayStation appointment, and have a preview for that as well.

God of War Ragnarok is officially coming to PC on September 19, and if you’re looking to play the game on release day, this is the best deal available. God of War Ragnarok is down to $49.79 via Fanatical using code FANATICAL17. The trusted Steam code seller has slashed the price of the upcoming release, with over $10 off the list price of $59.99.

This is one of the best PC gaming deals right now, and well worth considering. God of War: Ragnarok continues the stories of Kratos and his now teenage son, Atreus. The sequel was praised as an enthralling spectacle on its release, earning a 10 in IGN’s review.

“Impeccable writing, pitch-perfect performances, knockout action – it’s a complete work of art from top to bottom. Reflecting its core themes, it’s everything a sequel should be: respectful of its legendary lineage, but not afraid to take it to exciting new places,” we wrote at the time. “God of War Ragnarok is an almighty achievement and creates a new high that makes many of its peers look positively mortal by comparison.”

God of War: Ragnarok went on to win numerous awards after its release, subsequently receiving free DLC that introduced a new roguelike mode, and its PC release has long been anticipated by fans. Notably, God of War 2018 is highly-rated on Steam, currently sitting at Overwhelmingly Positive, with our deep dive explaining how Sony Santa Monica made its epic more accessible along with other improvements. We’ll see if we get more of the same from its sequel.

Now’s a great time to purchase nerdy products at a discount. Right now, you can save on a few excellent Switch titles at Best Buy including several down to just $39.99 like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Splatoon 3. These are some of the best Nintendo deals right now.

If you’re wondering what Xbox has going on at the moment following an exciting Xbox showcase, we have plenty of offers in our roundup of the best Xbox deals. You can score a Series X at a discount right now and there are quite a few Xbox controllers on sale that are worth checking out.

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

Did you like Astro’s Playroom? I sure did. In fact, the meanest thing I can say about it is that there wasn’t enough of it – I finished its five levels and final boss battle within a single evening. But as if in response to my hunger for more of PlayStation’s newest mascot, developer Team Asobi has opened the floodgates in Astro Bot, a game that looks to be everything I loved about the Playroom, but galaxies more of it.

I played a 45-minute demo of Astro Bot at Summer Game Fest Play Days over the weekend, and what a blast it was! What Astro’s Playroom got right, and what Astro Bot continues to absolutely nail, is making it wildly fun to just run around and be Astro. Everything is tuned precisely to feel just right: his movement speed, his jumping height and distance, the exact way he smashes little crates and zaps enemies with feet lasers, the density of obstacles in my path and the exact way each stage follows a linear path but branches and loops back on itself to allow room for secrets. Running through a single level in Astro Bot clicks my brain cells into a flow state where I am constantly moving and always have an objective in mind, but don’t feel overwhelmed by my options. I love smashing stuff; I love jumping over stuff; I love bouncing off stuff.

Where Astro’s Playroom had five major levels themed loosely around PlayStation 5 components, Astro Bot sends our little hero cruising through space atop a giant DualSense controller, hopping from planet to planet in search of his lost bot buddies. I’m told Astro Bot has around 80 levels to visit, all bursting with hidden bots, puzzle pieces, boss battles, goofy power-ups, coins, and little challenges leading to delightful secrets.

I saw five levels in my playthrough. One, a lush area with clear pools, pink flamingos, and rolling green hills in the distance, was full of water-based mechanics. I swam through little reefs of colorful fish, slid down a giant water slide, and unzipped giant water bubbles to unleash the flood inside. There, Astro could inflate like a little robot bubble to drift quickly up to higher areas, a skill especially useful underwater. In another level themed around a construction zone, Astro flung paint around to uncover hidden platforms, sucked up metal items with giant magnets, and equipped some kind of dog jetpack to zoom across long distances his usual hover wouldn’t normally clear.

Another level centered around a boss fight with a giant octopus wearing boxing gloves. To compensate, I got ahold of a pair of my own frog-themed gloves that let Astro punch enemies at a distance and swing like a monkey from certain overhangs. Another (wildly minor) criticism I had of Astro’s Playroom was that some of its power-up/vehicle sections frustrated me due to cumbersome movement mechanics as they tried to showcase the PS5’s unique features. Freed from that obligation, Astro Bot is better able to focus on giving me new toys that are just pure fun to use. Quick, solid, alternating punches using R1 and R2 made me feel like I was Goku-fighting the octopus, and I sent him packing.

The final two stages I tried were special challenge levels designed to test my platforming abilities. One of them tested my ability to dodge rapidly spinning enemies on crumbling platforms, while another forced me to execute sections of tricky jumps in limited periods of time. I managed to finish both in the demo time allotted, though not without some struggle on the first one. It’s hard to gauge just from these two stages how high the difficulty of Astro Bot’s platforming will eventually scale. But what pleased me the most about them was how the fast respawn time and overall brevity of the stages made trying again and again and again so easy and enjoyable. I found myself thinking, “Just one more try,” more than once, only to try two, three, ten more times. There was a moment toward the end of the demo where I stopped, looked around, and realized everyone else had left the room already. Just one more try…and I nailed it.

And yes, Astro Bot looks to be a nostalgia-fest. Sure, when compared to Playroom, I think Astro Bot seems a bit more focused on being an excellent platformer rather than reveling in PlayStation history. But that’s to its benefit – levels like the watery/flamingo one don’t need to have references to Bloodborne every two feet to keep me happy. Rather, Astro Bot’s PlayStation celebration largely resides with the bots I’m rescuing through each level, some of whom are dressed up like favorites such as Ratchet, Rivet, PaRappa, and more. And I have reason to suspect fans of PlayStation’s biggest franchises might be well-rewarded for finishing certain levels. When I beat the octopus, for instance, I rescued a bot pair clad as Kratos and Atreus, who then flew off to an icy-looking planet I couldn’t access in the demo. If my reading is right, we might be in for a full-blown God of War-themed level in the full game, and perhaps more besides.

When Team Asobi first started making the Astro games, it was easy for me to mentally make a shorthand comparison of their work to Nintendo’s long history of platformers. Both have similar throughlines, especially with how the two make games that feel like touchable, experimental toys and how both emphasize playfulness, joy, and surprise. But I’m pretty well convinced Team Asobi is beyond chasing Nintendo’s pedigree. Built on the foundation of Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot seemed poised to elevate the Astro games into a league all their own, if they weren’t there already. You’re telling me they’ve got 80 levels of what I just played? Sign me up to fly with Astro and crew.

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