The person behind the viral GTA 6 gameplay “leak” video has admitted it was created using generative AI, amid a growing backlash from fans.
IGN had reported on X / Twitter posts made by the Zap Actu GTA6 account, which included “leaked” gameplay clips of GTA 6 while pointing to a Discord. One video posted earlier this week — now deleted — showed playable character Lucia walking in the rain. It went viral, securing 8 million views in just over 24 hours despite a community note warning against trusting it as official footage from Rockstar. But there were many other similar clips, also with millions of impressions, from the same account, and based on the replies, a number of people believed they featured genuine leaked gameplay footage.
In Zap Actu GTA6’s Discord, a growing backlash emerged today as newcomers flooded in to seek clarity on whether these were genuine leaks of AI-generated videos.
Now, ZapActu has come clean, issuing a statement and responding to questions from IGN. They insisted the videos were designed to “observe people’s reactions and to demonstrate how easy it has become in 2025 to blur the line between reality and AI-generated content.” ZapActu apologized “to anyone who felt frustrated, disappointed, or misled by these posts.” They continued: “This was never done with bad intentions.”
ZapActu said they did not make any money from the posts, nor was there a financial motive behind “this experiment.” ZapActu is now in the process of deleting posts and closing accounts.
“My intention was never to harm anyone,” they continued. “I simply wanted to create something intriguing that could bring people together and spark discussion within the GTA 6 community. I genuinely never expected a single video to generate such massive engagement and reach.”
And, in a direct message to IGN, they concluded: “It was a huge joke actually, I did it just to entertain the community. Sorry for the false hope lol.”
Can anything meaningful be done? Last month, the Japanese government made a formal request asking OpenAI to refrain from copyright infringement after Sora 2 users generated videos featuring the likenesses of copyrighted characters from anime and video games. Sora 2, which OpenAI launched on October 1, is capable of generating 20-second long videos at 1080p resolution, complete with sound. Soon after its release, social media was flooded with videos generated by the app, many of which contained depictions of copyrighted characters including those from popular anime and game franchises such as One Piece, Demon Slayer, Pokémon, and Mario. Despite the protestations of the Japanese, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has declared Sora 2 videos using copyrighted characters “interactive fan fiction.”
As for GTA 6, given the game isn’t due out for another 12 months, expect more, increasingly convincing AI-generated gameplay “leaks” to hit the internet as fans desperate for official information from Rockstar – and, hopefully, Trailer 3 – wait on.
If you’re hunting for the best offers this week, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Sega is pointing to consumer expectations for “definitive editions” as one potential cause behind lower-than-expected sales for some of its recent games.
As spotted by GameBiz, the Sonic the Hedgehog and Persona company opened up about its performance throughout the last few months during a Q2 financial briefing Q&A session with shareholders yesterday. The conversation (via Automaton) saw Sega address the thought process behind why sales for its new premium and free-to-play games failed to meet expectations despite generally positive reviews from critics and fans.
Sega says a number of elements could be contributing to disappointing returns, including competition from other releases within the same genre, as well as launch prices. The gaming publisher also suggested gamers could be passing on purchasing games at launch due to an expectation they will eventually be able to purchase “definitive editions” of those same titles further down the line.
Definitive editions, which typically encompass video game re-releases with relatively minor visual upgrades and additional content, have become a popular tactic for publishers to utilize throughout the last decade. Sega is no stranger to the idea either, especially when it comes to Persona and Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus.
The studio has a history of pushing re-releases for games like Persona 4 and 5, which received Golden and Royal versions a few years after their initial launches. There’s also Shin Megami Tensei V, which originally released in 2021 and went on to come to more platforms with its Vengeance counterpart in 2024. Atlus’ latest, Metaphor: ReFantazio, released for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S late last year.
Sega didn’t specifically call out any game or franchise when pointing to its definitive edition theory. The company also generally seems hesitant to directly place the blame on any one factor for now.
“While we haven’t been able to pinpoint a precise cause of [the lower-than-expected sales performance], we believe the problem also lies in our marketing, which wasn’t able to sufficiently convey the appeal of our games to users,” a Sega spokesperson told investors.
It’s unclear if Metaphor: ReFantazio or any other Sega series will receive a definitive edition or equivalent re-release in the future. For now, fans are eagerly awaiting any news Atlus may have to share about Persona 6. A Persona 3 remake, subtitled Reload, launched early last year, with Persona 4 Revival set togive its sequel the same treatment sometime in the near future. Sega is also continuing to roll out new content for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which launched in September.
If you’re hunting for the best offers this week, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
I don’t know if I’m allowed to write “dad I’d like to” you know what, even as an acronym, so I won’t, but my current prediction for Scholar, the first of two new Nightfarers coming to Elden Ring Nightreign as part of its Forsaken Hollows DLC, is that this is what an alarmingly large number of people will refer to him as. I get it! He’s a bit grubby looking, but he’s smart because he reads books and stuff. There’s multitudes there.
When you think of platformers, you likely think of Super Mario Bros. When you think of JRPGs, you likely think of Final Fantasy. When you think of FPS, you likely think of Call of Duty. Some games are just synonymous with their respective genres. And when it comes to tower defence games, what comes to my mind immediately is Plants vs Zombies.
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted is exactly what it says on the tin. Zombies are invading and the only hope against them is a crop of… well, crops. You’ll need to plant an entire plant army to prevent the zombie hoard from entering your home. It’s a simple, if not rather iconic, premise.
When it comes to hotly anticipated World of Warcraft updates, few have sizzled for longer than Player Housing – a feature that will bring liveable homes and dynamic neighbourhoods to the ever-evolving world of Azeroth. And the best news? It’s almost here – scheduled to land in the final patch of The War Within starting on December 2.
The WoW team is giving players a whole new way to express creativity, so we sat down with Design Lead Toby Ragaini and Lead UX Designer Laura Sardinha to find out how housing works, and how it’s offering the ultimate cosy, creative retreat for all types of WoW players.
Housing has been in development at Blizzard for a while, and the team knew that it not only had to meet expectations for such a requested feature, but also exceed them, according to Ragaini. While the update will be released as part of Midnight, WoW‘s latest expansion, the feature itself is evergreen, something that players can invest in for the long term.
“It took years of design and engineering to get where we are today,” says Ragaini. “We wanted something that felt like a whole new part of the game, that would grow with the community.”
So how will it work? Players can obtain a plot of land (though they will have two total for their Warband, one for each faction neighborhood), and every plot contains a house. Each plot differs by style, shape and biome, built to accommodate whatever vibe you’d like. Some houses within a neighborhood are grouped for a more communal feel, allowing friends to become digital neighbors, while other spots are more isolated for the recluses and the solo settlers among you.
No matter how isolated your plot might be, however, all player housing exists within neighborhoods, which contain approximately 50 houses each. There are Public Neighborhoods, where anyone can buy a home, and Private Neighborhoods, which can be created and managed by Guilds or larger groups of players that all want to share a space. Once you’ve chosen a house, you’ll live among those players until you decide to leave the neighborhood. It’s inherently social, a dynamic hub where you’ll be able to see what all your neighbors are up to at all times, which was important for the WoW team.
“These neighborhoods, and the neighbors you have – they’re going to persist for as long as you live in that community,” Ragaini says. “I think that’s one of the most compelling aspects of MMOs. We’re trying to rekindle the magic of online social interaction in that way.”
Housing comes with a robust set of permissions, so you can fully customise how other players in the neighborhood can interact with you, and these can be altered at any time.
“We recognise that ‘social’ means different things to different people,” Ragaini adds. “So we want to make sure that everyone can decide how they want to interact with their neighbours. Whether you want an open house that anyone can visit, or something closed off to visitors, you can choose whatever makes you comfortable.”
Making A House A Home
Once you have a home, what’s next? You’ll need to decorate it, both internally and externally – and there is an entire library of whimsical Warcraft decor to discover. What’s more, there’s little limit to how creative you can be with how to design your home and the surrounding land, whether you’re a mage wanting to throw up a quirky wizard tower, or a rogue designing a dark den. Housing is much more than just a gameplay loop to earn rewards – it’s giving WoW players a robust suite of creative tools and UI to express creativity so your home can be truly unique, and a marvel to other players living in the neighborhood.
“We allow players to have total freedom of how they arrange things. They can use items in unorthodox ways to make something completely different,” Sardinha says. “In addition to that, you have a room layout tool that defines rooms, but you can also play around with the pieces to create your own room with a secret door, or build puzzles for people to solve – the UI is so powerful in how it allows players to be flexible with what they want to build in their world.”
Concept art of decor created for the Blood Elf race
One of the most interesting parts of the Player Housing update is who the WoW team is aiming to engage – besides the long-time players, they want to see cozy gamers, design enthusiasts, and those who may not have found a reason to venture into Azeroth before, but certainly could now.
To do so, the team wanted housing to be more than a currency grind – expanding your house is a whole new mechanic in itself. With that in mind, it was also important to make housing an approachable update for lapsed or entirely new players – how can this be interesting to the uninitiated, while still introducing those players to the full scope of WoW?
“We didn’t want housing to exist as a standalone activity; it needed to be integrated into the core mechanics of World of Warcraft,” Ragiani explains. “So that if someone new comes in and wants to engage with housing, they’re not just feeling isolated, they’re encouraged to participate in all aspects of the game.”
You’ll be able to earn items for your home – items, furniture, trophies and trinkets – through numerous activities, and anyone can get stuck in, no experience needed.
“There’s a lot of different ways to play WoW, and no one has the ‘right’ way,” Ragaini says. “So when you’re out doing quests, or raids, or dungeons, there will be opportunities to earn decor and other rewards for your house. You’ll be brought into the core loop of the game as part of the housing experience.”
To increase that sense of participation, neighborhoods will have semi-regular events called Endeavours, and players within these spaces can work together to complete tasks and unlock rewards for all residents within a neighborhood. These tasks range from questing and running dungeons, to activities like crafting and gathering, so that every style of player can contribute to a community-wide goal. Completing these tasks can also earn you Neighborhood Favor, a new currency used to level up your home, increase your decor limit, or buy additional items from NPCs.
Player Housing is such a fresh, inviting direction for World of Warcraft, a game that is so visually warm and entrancing, but can feel overwhelming in terms of how much content is on offer. This is a smart, interesting way to encourage different types of players to get involved, and idea of building a unique home, sharing a space with friends, and completing objectives together to craft a collaborative environment is an intensely appealing prospect that I can’t wait to get started with.
To mark the year’s end and to start the holiday celebrations early, we’re pleased to make December’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup a special one, with additional bonus titles available to PS Plus members* in select regions.
Hunt machines as you save the Earth from an ancient digital demon, battle frenzied swarms of bioengineered creatures, survive psychological trials, go topside to loot for resources in a futuristic world, or exterminate demons in Heaven. LEGO Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality Echo of Ada and Neon White will be available to PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday December 2 until Monday January 5*.
Let’s take a closer look at the games.
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LEGO Horizon Adventures | PS5
Join hunter Aloy as she battles to save Earth from an ancient digital demon, and a gang of sunworshippers who want to live in a world without shade so they can soak up the rays while everything burns. Hunt machines on your own as Aloy, or unlock colorful heroes Varl, Teersa, and Erend, and use their unique skills to defeat enemies and overcome challenges. Share the fun with another player online, or via innovative couch co-op on a single screen, so you’re always in the same world together. Need an extra challenge? Replay levels that change to test your skills and unlock new surprises, or check the Mother’s Heart Community Board for ways to help the village. See if you’ve got what it takes to ace every aspect of the game!
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Killing Floor 3 | PS5
The next evolution in the first-person action horror franchise, Killing Floor 3 resurrects the gut-churning combat the series is famed for, pitting up to six co-op players against waves of enemies across a variety of maps. Reared and released by the megacorp Horzine, frenzied swarms of bioengineered creatures stalk the streets. The only hope humanity has at stopping them is the rebel faction Nightfall. Their Specialists have honed a unique set of skills and proficiencies to turn the tide, with a multitude of merciless weapons and gadgets that melt through zeds, as well as the new ability to dash and climb across the carnage. Gear up, customize your loadout and get even before what’s left is lost to the darkness.
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The Outlast Trials | PS4, PS5
Red Barrels invites you to experience mind-numbing terror in this first-person psychological survival horror that can be played solo or with up to three other players online. You’ve been abducted by the Murkoff Corporation and trapped inside their facility. Your goal: earn the right to be released back into society. In order to do so, you must complete Trials and MK-Challenges. In pure Outlast fashion, the core gameplay involves avoiding enemies, hiding from them, and trying to run away. Murkoff will provide tools you can use to increase your stealth capabilities, create opportunities to flee, slow down enemies, and more. However, you will have to earn those tools and work hard to improve them. Whatever the number of players in your party, it’s about surviving and getting out.
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Synduality Echo of Ada | PS5
Synduality Echo of Ada takes place in 2222, years after a mysterious poisonous rain called The Tears of the New Moon wiped out most of humanity and birthed deformed creatures that now hunt the population. Amidst the calamity, humans are forced to build an underground haven to survive. Take on the role of a Drifter whose goal is to collect the rare resource known as AO Crystals. In your quest, you must collaborate with your artificial intelligence partner to face xenomorphic creatures known as Enders and survive the hazards on the surface. Rise from the underground to a surface world infested with hostile Enders, toxic rains, and other enemies, as you fight to loot for resources. Ride your Cradlecoffin, cooperate with your Magus, and stay alert around other players. One false move is all it takes to lose both your mecha and precious supplies, left to be scavenged by the remaining survivors.
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Neon White | PS4, PS5
Neon White is a lightning fast first-person action game about exterminating demons in Heaven. You are White, an assassin handpicked from Hell to compete with other demon slayers for a chance to live permanently in Heaven. The other assassins seem familiar, though… did you know them in a past life? Collect Soul Cards to attack your foes or discard them to use unique movement abilities, and compete for the best times by cleverly combining cards to discover massive shortcuts.
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Last chance to add PlayStation Plus Games for November to your library
PlayStation Plus members have until Monday December 1 to add Stray, EA Sports WRC 24 and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator to their game library.
*PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day for more information.
Kirby has been so many different things since he first floated into our lives in 1992. Besides his dozens of transforming copy abilities, he’s been split into four differently-colored Kirbys, turned into yarn, warped into a ball we controlled on the DS touch screen, and so much more. And now that he’s hopped back on the Warp Star with the release of Kirby Air Riders on Nintendo Switch 2, we thought it was the perfect time to look back at the history of the pink puffball. Here are IGN’s top ten Kirby games of all time.
10. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
Two iconic Nintendo heroes were split into four different versions of themselves on the Game Boy Advance: Link in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and Kirby in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. The latter is a 2004 GBA platformer that took advantage of the system’s link cable functionality to allow four players to adventure together, calling each other on a cellphone to regroup if they ever got split up. Just make sure the batteries don’t run out! And even if you played Amazing Mirror on your own, it stands out thanks to its lite Metroidvania setup. Rather than adventure through linear levels like pretty much every other Kirby platformer, Amazing Mirror’s branching paths let players explore levels in different orders at their own pace.
9. Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Before becoming an industry celebrity thanks to the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai directed the humble Kirby’s Dream Land on Game Boy. Back in those days, Kirby was white instead of pink (at least on the North American box art), and he didn’t have copy abilities! But the 1995 Game Boy sequel, Kirby’s Dream Land 2, improved on everything the first game set up, bringing Kirby Adventure’s copy abilities into the fold, and introducing the iconic rideable animal friends like Rick the hamster. It’s a classic example of a bigger, better sequel, and our pick for the best game in Kirby’s original Dream Land trilogy, even though we really love the pastel art style of Dream Land 3 on Super Nintendo.
8. Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Kirby’s debut outing on 3DS took full advantage of the handheld’s screen, as Kirby: Triple Deluxe (a wordier way to say Kirby: 3D) sees Kirby platforming in the foreground and background in very unique ways. Its main hook is the Hypernova ability, which makes Kirby suck harder than he’s ever sucked before, essentially turning his stomach into a black hole. This is used in all sorts of clever puzzles, including one level where Kirby eats an entire train like it’s a light snack. It also introduced one of my favorite subgames in the series: Dedede’s Drum Dash, a rhythm game where Kirby’s best frenemy bounces to the beat in stages set to familiar Kirby tunes.
7. Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
Kirby’s Adventure is an important entry in the franchise, as it’s responsible for introducing copy abilities. And it wasn’t just two or three; Adventure came out swinging with more than 20 different powers for Kirby to steal from enemies, setting the blueprint for every Kirby game to come. It also established both minigames and Kirby’s longtime rival, Meta Knight, as staples for the series. This NES classic got remade as Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land on the GBA in 2002, which we’re picking as the definitive version because of its improved controls and additional content it brought with it, like the bonus Meta Knightmare mode, where you can play the whole campaign as Meta Knight — another new wrinkle that would become commonplace in future Kirby games,. But shoutout to the NES Kirby’s Adventure cover, where Kirby is literally eating the box art and revealing the endless void that lies underneath.
6. Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Kirby’s Epic Yarn is probably the easiest game on this list – which is saying a lot, given the general approachability of almost all of the Kirby series – but it’s also one of the most charming. Developed by Good-Feel instead of series steward HAL Laboratory, Kirby’s Epic Yarn transforms the pink sphere into, you guessed it, yarn, completely changing the aesthetic and overall gameplay. There aren’t traditional copy abilities – instead, this Kirby simply morphs himself into a yarn submarine, car, or parachute as he travels with the adorable Prince Fluff through an arts and crafts-themed world. It’s relaxing, beautiful, and fits in right alongside the best Kirby games despite being so different.
5. Kirby Air Riders
Kirby Air Riders is only a few days old, but it’s already one of the all-time franchise greats. After more than two decades away, Masahiro Sakurai returned to the franchise he created to take another crack at Kirby Air Ride, which was a fun but somewhat underbaked experiment back on the GameCube. And Sakurai didn’t let any part of this second chance go to waste, creating a definitive sequel that feels like the ultimate realization of its simplistic one-button racing formula. Air Riders is packed with modes, unlockables, and tons of little details that show how much love and attention went into its development. The racing is frantic and fun, but the star of the show is still City Trial; the battle mode / collectathon hybrid that’s a wonderful throwback to local multiplayer modes from the N64 and GameCube days. Its unconventional controls aren’t going to be for everyone, but if you go along for the ride, you’ll find a fantastic Kirby game that’s brilliantly unique.
4. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe
Return to Dreamland on Wii was the first traditional home console Kirby platformer since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (which we love but narrowly missed out on our top 10). It delivered the classic Kirby adventuring fans were craving, but introduced fun new copy abilities like Leaf and Water, had multiple well-hidden collectibles to track down in each level, tasked players with mastering every copy ability in its challenge rooms, and a lot more. Most importantly, it’s a blast in local multiplayer, allowing up to four friends to play the entire campaign together as either Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, or Bandana Waddle Dee. Return to Dreamland got a fantastic deluxe treatment on Nintendo Switch, adding a bonus epilogue and a ton of returning subgames from across the series, complete with dozens of achievements to chase, so we’ve gone with that version here.
3. Kirby Super Star Ultra
Sakurai is known for stuffing his games full of side modes that all build around the same gameplay foundations, and that tradition started in Kirby Super Star, the Super Nintendo classic that hosted a small handful of bite-sized adventures to run through. These were repackaged and expanded upon in the excellent DS remake, Super Star Ultra, which brought everything back and added even more, continuing the tradition of a Meta Knight campaign established in Nightmare in Dreamland. Super Star’s biggest strength, though, is its sheer variety: collecting every last treasure in The Great Cave Offensive, racing to eat more treats than Dedede in Gourmet Race, or infiltrating the Halberd as terrified crewmates discuss the best way to stop Kirby. Every mode offers its own flavor, and it all comes together to create the strongest game of Kirby’s early days.
2. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Every game series takes a different approach when transitioning from 2D to 3D, and fittingly for this franchise, Kirby kept things delightfully simple by keeping its formula largely intact as it made the jump. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a fantastic realization of classic Kirby platforming in a 3D space. Kirby hops, floats, and dodges just like you’d think he would, and the upgradeable copy abilities work seamlessly. Its most memorable new addition is Mouthful Mode, which lets Kirby wrap his enormous mouth around a car, staircase, or even a vending machine, making for fun puzzle platforming that proves this isn’t just a retread of Kirby’s greatest hits. The Forgotten Land also takes some inspiration from the 3D platforming greats, such as Super Mario and Banjo-Kazooie, by sprinkling hidden collectibles and secret objectives across every level, and it’s a joy for completionists to hunt down every last Waddle Dee to send back to town.
1. Kirby Planet Robobot
The best Kirby game of them all is Kirby: Planet Robobot, an unassuming sequel to Triple Deluxe on 3DS that turned out to be his finest adventure. That’s largely thanks to the Robobot armor, a hulking mech suit Kirby pilots across the campaign, complete with its own unique copy abilities. While Triple Deluxe’s Hypernova and Return to Dreamland’s Super abilities felt more like gimmicks relegated to setpiece moments, the Robobot armor is seamlessly integrated into the stages, leading to fantastic puzzles with the most depth, variety, and challenge in the series, especially if you’re trying to collect everything. Robobot expands upon Triple Deluxe’s foreground and background platforming and features some of the coolest settings in the series, as a mechanized Planet Popstar is just a great idea that ties each world together. Robobot is an absolute treat, and we can only hope that Nintendo rereleases it on Switch or Switch 2 sometime soon so more people can experience the best Kirby game of them all.
There you have it – IGN’s top ten Kirby games of all time. Would you inhale this list, or spit it out? Are we leaving off your favorite? Drop a comment and let us know. For more Kirby, check out our review of Kirby Air Riders, or our Nintendo Voice Chat podcast that posts new episodes every Friday on the IGN Games YouTube channel and your favorite podcast app. And for everything else Nintendo, stick with IGN.
Logan Plant is the host of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN’s Database Manager & Playlist Editor. The Legend of Zelda is his favorite video game franchise of all time, and he is patiently awaiting the day Nintendo announces a brand new F-Zero. You can find him online @LoganJPlant.
To say Splitgate 2 hasn’t had an easy go of it would perhaps be a mild understatement, though that’s not to say it’s entirely undeserved. There was that absolutely silly hat malarky for one, creating a not particularly welcoming vibe, and there was of course some controversy involving the pricing for some of its in-game items. All of that unfortunately led to two rounds of layoffs, and a switch back to a beta version of the game. Now, it looks like it’ll be back in action next month.
I probably could have held off on writing this until what I like to call “Black Friday proper“, on Nov. 28. But I’ve already seen several top offers fall into the shadow realm, never to return. And, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that my top Black Friday picks will soon meet a similar fate.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s still some brilliant offers up for grabs, with some of 2025’s best games dropping to $30 or less, while plenty of other big PS5, Xbox, and Switch releases from the past couple of years are also heavily discounted right now (at least for now).
That’s been massively helped by Walmart, which has stocked up on some of the best Black Friday discounts going this year. Yet, with retailers like Amazon and Best Buy still refusing to auto price-match most deals, once Walmart sells out, we likely won’t see some of these low, low prices again for a while.
So, writing this article, I am.
You might have already seen my $20 or less roundup, which is still packed with heavy hitters from the last few years, and perfect if you want maximum bang for your buck. Some are so good, they even feature in this article as well. But, I’ve also tried to keep things as fresh as possible for returning readers.
I’ve also got you covered if you’re looking for a more comprehensive roundup of the best video game deals for Black Friday. With that out the way, my advice is to snap up the following games up ASAP, cause once they’re gone, they’re gone.
I was being all silly… but that is kinda fantastic. Releasing just a few months ago, remake or not, $40 off is a mighty fine offer. Only last week, this was down to $50 at Best Buy and I was all like, “$20 off – that’s a good deal!” What a fool I was.
Still, extra reductions on top of already good deals? Now that’s what Black Friday is all about. But, fair warning, with deals of this caliber, Black Friday or not, they usually don’t last long, so I’d pick it up while you still can.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Okay fair warning, there’s a couple of Sonic games on this list, and you should be happy about it! The blue blur has been having a blinder these past few years, and SEGA has continued its hot streak of form with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. This might actually be the best racer I’ve played in recent years, and I even enjoy it more than Mario Kart World (sorry, not sorry!).
It’s down to $30 for Switch, PS5, and Xbox, which is an almighty good deal, especially since this hasn’t long been out, and was selling for $60-70 only a couple of months back. Not only that, it’s another extra reduction deal, as this was $45 only last week in the sale. I may actually be enjoying Black Friday for once! This is such a good deal, and well worth picking up while stock lasts.
Star Wars Outlaws
Somehow, Star Wars Outlaws returned. Hey, even a 7/10 game can be worth $30! Well, $15 on PS5, $20 on Xbox, and $30 for the Gold Edition on Switch 2.
Listen we all like to dog on this game, but I truely think there’s a lot of fun to be had with Outlaws. Sure, it’s got a bad rep, but you’re actually getting so much genuinely great Star Wars content, it’s no joke.
If anything, I really think it’s worth a go for anyone who was ever on the fence about buying it for whatever console you’re playing it on. I think it’s a great pick for anyone on Switch 2, especially since it’s dropped further in the sales, down from $60 to $40 last week, and now just $30 at Amazon. Score!
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Hey it’s that other Sonic game I mentioned! Sonic X Shadow Generations featured in my top picks from last year, and it’s absolutely worth playing for just $15 on Switch and Xbox, or $25 on PS5. It’s worth it for just the Shadow Generations levels alone.
I loved every minute with this game, and I even bought it again for my Steam Deck to play on the go. Trust, I may also end up buying it again on my Switch if I’m feeling extra saucy. Play this game! It’s brilliant! Yes, I am a Sonic fanboy, and I always will be.
Super Mario Odyssey
When it comes to Switch games, my top pick is still Super Mario Odyssey for Black Friday. It recently ranked fourth on IGN’s “Top 100 Nintendo Games of All Time”, and it’s down to just 30 bucks. That’s an outstanding deal, especially for such a good game, that also includes a free Switch 2 upgrade.
You can find the discount at both Walmart and Target, as it was obviously too hot for Amazon to hold on to for long. To be fair, Amazon quickly lost all their Switch deals once Walmart started rocking the price boat and dropping games an additional $10 all of a sudden.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Okay I’ve got to do the thing where I admit to not playing games again, even when they’re on sale and very good deals. Echoes of Wisdom looks fun! For $30, I think it seems like an excellent offer for Black Friday. Since I’ve never played it, so I’m going to trust in my lovely collegue Tom Marks to rescue my embarassment.
He said this in his incredibly positive 9/10 review for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on IGN: “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is far more than some second-tier spinoff, combining the expertly crafted dungeons and item progression you’d expect from a 2D Zelda with the wild creativity provided by Tears of the Kingdom.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Another one of my favorite games of the year, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is now down to just $30 for both PS5. This has been one of my big comfort games for 2025, and I couldn’t recommend it enough for anyone looking for a chill, fun, adventure through Japan.
Go in with no expectations, and I genuinely think you’ll be surprised at how much fun this game can really be. The stealth is the best the series has ever had, and the addition of Yasuke is surprisingly excellent, providing a brilliant change of pace for when you’re looking to just rip and tear through a castle instead of tip toeing to the objective. At $30, this is more than worth it.
Elden Ring
Hard to believe it has been more than three years since Elden Ring landed on consoles and PC, and somehow it still lived up to every wild expectation I had for it. IGN handed it a 10 at launch, quite deservedly, and it’s fast become one of my favorite games of all time as well. It is more than worth the $15 Walmart is currently charging for it in the Black Friday sales. That’s a stupidly good deal.
If you’ll allow me to momentarily skirt around my $30 or less rule (just like I did with the $20 or less rule, way too many times), I do highly encourage you to check out the full package if you can. Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree Edition is also discounted, $39.99 on PS5 and is well worth it. Still, if $20 is your limit, the base game has hundreds of hours worth of content already waiting for you.
Spider-Man 2
Anyone else feel like Spider-Man 2 gets a bit of an undeserved bad rep?
Especially for how much fun it actually is. I’ll admit the story is no where near as good as the first, but the gameplay in this one is absolutely outstanding and had be gripped for first playthrough, and then an immediate New Game Plus run.
At $30 in the Black Friday sales at Walmart, this is definitely one of the best deals going right now for PlayStation owners, if you one of the few who haven’t gotten around to playing yet.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
It’s only fitting that I finished up on yet another Switch game I have never touched, but am assured that it is brilliant, and $30 for it is about as good of a deal that Nintendo will genuniely ever offer for any of its first party games. To back me up, I brought in the assisstance of IGN’s Logan Plant, who had this to say in his 9/10 review last year:
“Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an amazingly loyal and visually dazzling remake of a treasured RPG, and the improvements made throughout easily make this the definitive way to experience Mario’s unforgettable quest.”
I had this whole speel ready for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 for $30, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 as it’s my strongest contender to go up against what seems like the clear front runner in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for the 2025 Game of the Year Awards.
But the deal is gone! See what I mean? Sorry for the deal FOMO, but it really shows how not all of the top offers are going to last through Black Friday on November 28, let alone until Cyber Monday when most of the sales “officially” end.
If your budget is more in the $40 range, you should absolutely be picking up 2024’s Game of the Year winner, Astro Bot, which is down to $40 at Walmart, after, you guessed it, Amazon sold out!
Right, that’s me actually done now, if you pick up anything good over Black Friday, or just want to tell me how much of a fool I am, let me know in the comments ASAP. Have a great Thanksgiving, and see you next time.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
Hooded Horse have just announced that they’re publishing it, which is lovely because it means I can write about a horse game this week that hasn’t been banned from Steam for infringing upon Valve’s ever-elastic content policies. There are no scenes of inquity so far in Roaming Blades, just good, wholesome disembowelment and the chance to blow up lingering balls of lightning. Here’s the trailer.
