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Locked Fallout TV Show Countdown Timer Coincides With Season 2 Finale — but Fans Are Hoping It Also Signals a Fallout 3 or New Vegas Remaster Shadowdrop

There is a mysterious countdown timer on Amazon’s official website for its Fallout TV series that is set to unlock when the Season 2 finale comes out — but fans think it might also signal the shadowdrop of a Fallout 3 or New Vegas remaster.

The countdown is live now on a website designed to look like a Fallout map. On it are locations in the Fallout map style which, when accessed, lead you to behind-the-scenes information on the show. For example, The Vault 33 outer door, from which Lucy first steps foot into the wasteland, is on the south of the map. The Caswennan, the airship that serves as a soaring fortress for the Brotherhood of Steel, is to the east. And up there in the top right is the locked point of interest alongside the timer, which points to February 4.

That’s the day the Season 2 finale airs. So, it could just be pointing to a behind-the-scenes hub for the final episode. Perhaps it will reveal a teaser for Season 3, which is already confirmed. Or, as some Fallout fans hope, it will point to a Fallout video game remaster release.

Could Bethesda follow The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and release a remaster of Fallout 3 or New Vegas? In a recent interview with IGN, Howard remained coy on the possibility.

We asked Howard if the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which has seen over 4 million players since it shadowdropped last year, was a repeatable trick for a Fallout 3 Remastered. Howard kept his cards close to his chest, and reiterated a point he’s been making a lot in interviews lately.

“I will just say that the Oblivion Remaster, we’re really, really pleased with how well it did, it was a very long project too, and not just in how it was received, the ability to shadowdrop it, and the response to doing that,” he said. “I like to do that with games as much as possible. I love the moment that you find out about a game.”

There was no mention made during the recent Fallout Day broadcast of a Fallout: New Vegas remaster, which some (including Danny Trejo!) had called on Bethesda to develop. Indeed, there were no new Fallout games announced at all. Find out everything announced during the Fallout Day broadcast here.

But there are all sorts of rumors floating around about potential Fallout remakes now that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is out the door (Fallout 3 Remastered was leaked back in 2023, but those plans may have changed). And we know Bethesda wants to eventually get to Fallout 5, albeit after The Elder Scrolls 6.

“There’s nothing to tease / preview they haven’t even begun filming yet,” one fan said, discounting a Season 3 reveal for the countdown. “I know you guys are being cynical to avoid getting let down but there’s a chance this is actually something.”

“Please be at least a Fallout 3 remaster as beautiful as Oblivion,” added another fan. “Give us something please. I know it will be 20 years before we see another new Fallout.”

The last mainline Fallout game was Fallout 4, which was released in 2015. DLC content for the entry was steadily released for PC and consoles over the next year, and in 2018, Bethesda launched its multiplayer-centered offshoot, Fallout 76. While fans flocked to the West Virginia-set open-world RPG over time (and after a rocky launch), it wasn’t until the premiere of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show that the Bethesda series leveled up in terms of attention.

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.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 1 Reloaded Global Release Times and Details Confirmed

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded just around the corner, we’re starting to get a better idea of what to expect when the new update goes live on January 8.

Although we don’t yet have all the details, we should expect four multiplayer maps for Black Ops 7 at launch, plus new POIs on Haven’s Hollow Resurgence and Verdansk maps in Warzone. There’s also some updates for Zombies, including the Astra Malorum Round-Based Zombies map and Exit 115 Survival map, plus “reward-filled weekly challenges,” new weapons, modes, camos, events, and more.

While pre-load is not live yet across all platforms, it is available for players on Battle.net, where it looks like it’s a 175GB download (redownloading the game), although that will depend on what game modes you have/want installed. On Xbox, the download looks to be around 170GB, so whatever you’re playing on, it may be worth double-checking how much space you have ahead of time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded start times:

Depending on where you are in the world, Season 1 Reloaded is set to go live on:

Thursday, January 8, 2026:

PST (San Francisco):

  • 9am

CST (Mexico City):

  • 11am

EST (New York):

  • 12pm

GMT (London):

  • 5pm

CET (Paris):

  • 6pm

Friday, January 9, 2026

JST (Tokyo):

  • 1am

CST (Beijing):

  • 1am

AEST (Sydney):

  • 4am

NZST (Wellington):

  • 6am

Maps

Players will fight across a suite of new core Multiplayer maps with Season 1 Reloaded, including the high-rise, neon-soaked rooftops of Yakei alongside the return of two of the most iconic maps in Black Ops history: Meltdown and Fringe.

Zombies, on the other hand, will see the Zarya Cosmodrome location from Ashes of the Damned become a Survival map, and a Directed mode has been added to the Astra Malorum map, so buddies can now jump and help each other complete the main story quest.

Campaign

Two new world events have been confirmed, but we only have details of one: the Wraith Wing world event. This advanced Guild aircraft appears to have cloning capabilities with lethal consequences as this squadron seems hell bent on eliminating as many JSOC Operators as it can. Disable it, fire at the exposed aircraft, and down that bird.

Weapons

So far, we only know of two new weapons unlocking in Season 1 Reloaded:

  • Hawker HX (Sniper rifle, FKA Ballista sniper)
  • Sturmwolf 45 (submachine gun, FKA UMP45)

Fallout Collab

Yes, it’s true — Microsoft is bringing two of its hottest gaming franchises together for a Fallout Season 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 crossover event. While details remain sparse, we’ve seen a brief video teaser which shows silhouettes of Fallout TV series characters The Ghoul, Lucy, and Maximus in the smoke of war, with bullets whizzing by in the background.

“Okie dokie — stay focused, stay alive,” the text on the post reads. “[Fallout TV show] is coming to Call of Duty in Season 01 Reloaded.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

The Delightful Astro Bot for PS5 Is Back to Its Best Price at Amazon and Walmart

Looking for a fun game to jump into this January? Both Amazon and Walmart have dropped the wonderful Astro Bot for PS5 back to its lowest price yet of $39.97, which is the same price we saw during Black Friday sales. That’s an excellent little treat for PlayStation users to start 2026 off with, saving you 33% off its full price of $59.99.

Score Astro Bot for $40

If you enjoyed playing Astro’s Playroom, which came pre-installed on PS5 consoles, this full-length adventure is sure to put a smile on your face during these winter months. It’s one we absolutely adored, with IGN’s Simon Cardy saying in his review that it’s, “A collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive.”

Our reviewer wasn’t the only one who had high praise for this game, though. Astro Bot actually took home Game of the Year back in 2024 at the Game Awards, won Best Game at the BAFTA Game Awards, and even took home one of IGN’s top prizes as the best PlayStation game of 2024. See? It’s absolutely worth adding to your collection, especially while it’s still on sale. And it may not stay this low for much longer, so now is a great time to scoop it up.

Astro Bot isn’t the only game to receive a nice discount to kick off the new year, either. If you’re stocking up after the holidays, we’ve also spied some great deals on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Battlefield 6 recently. To see even more gaming deals available right now, check out our breakdown of the best deals of the day for other options that have caught our eye recently.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

South Park/Fortnite Crossover Arrives This Week

Hot on the animated heels of The Simpsons, which enjoyed its own Fortnite mini-season throughout November last year, it’s been confirmed South Park has its own collaboration with the battle royale juggernaut set to arrive this week.

The only official information related to South Park’s upcoming Fortnite crossover is an image of Butters playing the game, which notes the date January 9, alongside a caption that reads, “Chaos, loading…”, shared via Fortnite’s official social media.

There’s no further confirmed information regarding how extensive the South Park content will be, but clarity on this appears to be just a couple of days away.

Rumours of a South Park/Fortnite crossover have been in circulation since late last year.

The news never stops with Fortnite, following confirmation Epic’s shooter has remained the most-played game on PlayStation in the US in 2025, a clear shift in its nipple policy, and the arrival of… Kim Kardashian.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

‘Steam Charts Don’t Measure Fun’ – Splitgate Dev Chimes in After Players Express Fear Over PC Launch Numbers

1047 Games has some thoughts regarding how Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is faring on Steam, and it’s got a message for fans: “Steam Charts don’t measure fun.”

The Halo and Portal-inspired FPS re-launched December 17 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S after the studio chose to U-turn with an overall rework for Splitgate 2 back in July 2025. It was a move made amid layoffs at 1047 that saw both the sequel and its popular predecessor pulled offline as the studio promised to return with “big, sweeping changes.”

Those changes seemingly failed to attract players, with just around 2,300 players logging in to play the free-to-play game on Steam at launch and a little more than 800 playing at the time of this piece’s publication (via SteamDB). The Splitgate community quickly drummed up debate about what another disappointing launch could mean for the future of the shooter, but 1047 has a different take.

“Steam Charts don’t measure fun,” a message from the team says. “They show one number, on one platform, at one given moment. They don’t show the full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don’t capture the community that’s actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming (including upcoming content like Arena Royale).”

It’s hard to separate Splitgate: Arena Reloaded’s launch player numbers from the nearly 26,000 users who showed up for Splitgate 2, but 1047’s targeted response does aim to remind players that the re-launch also came to consoles and the Epic Games Store. Metrics for those platforms aren’t as openly available as they are for Steam, so it’s unclear if interest is similarly quiet elsewhere.

Regardless, the studio wants both veteran and potential players to know it’s put work into getting Splitgate: Arena Reloaded ready for launch, and it doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

“To our amazing community: thank you,” 1047 continues. “Your feedback and passion have helped make Arena Reloaded better every day.

“And to everyone who hasn’t played yet: Arena Reloaded is free, the gameplay’s the best it’s ever been, and we’d love for you to jump in and form your own opinion. A lot of passionate people worked very hard on it.”

As 1047 takes to social media to combat the negative sentiment surrounding its re-launch effort, its Arena Royale component is expected to launch in the near future. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded came with a rebuilt progression system, new and reworked maps, and more. We gave Splitgate 2 a 7/10 review upon its launch last year.

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).

Deals for Today: MTG Price Watch and a huge RTX 5090 Alienware Discount

Magic: The Gathering sealed product is making waves at big box retailers and TCGPlayer, but who has the best prices this week? Well, both Amazon and secondary marketplace TCGPlayer have their bargains, so I’ve noted the best deals down to save you looking, as well as the other best deals of the day.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

Alienware has just dropped a massive discount on their NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 build, coupled with one of the best gaming processors on the market right now in AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Looking for a cheap and cheerful deal instead? How about two 6.6ft braided USB-C cables that can handle up to 240W for the price of a coffee? Thought so. Coming in at the product you didn’t know you needed today is a cordless air duster for easy cleaning of desks, PCs, fans and more that’s currently half off from $39.98. Let’s get into it:

MTG: Cheapest at Amazon

Amazon is putting out some decent pricing, with my favorite pick here being the “Game Edition” of Cloud Strife-themed Limit Break Commander Deck. It’s around the same price as TCGPlayer, making it market value, with the artwork being based on in-game moments instead of the traditional MTG artwork.

The same can be said for the Marvel’s Spider-Man Play Booster Box containing 30 booster packs with the following:
• 14 Magic: The Gathering cards
• 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher
• 3–6 Uncommon cards
• 6–9 Common cards
• 1 Land card (Traditional Foil Land replaces a Land in 20% of boosters)
• 1 card of any rarity is Traditional Foil; Foil Showcase Mythic Rare in 1% of boosters

MTG: Cheapest at TCGPlayer

Meanwhile, TCGPlayer is the place to go for MTG preorders. It’s the cheapest for the Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box and Bundle, with the next Universes Beyond entry Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box, Turtle Power! Commander Deck and Bundle, the latter being over $15 cheaper than Amazon.

There’s some gorgeous Final Fantasy scene boxes coming in cheaper than Amazon too, not to mention the standard Limit Break Commander Deck being just under $5 cheaper on TCGPlayer. It pays to shop around for sure.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090

This beast is loaded with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 32GB DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That alone sells this system with the custom cooling that makes Alienware’s Area-51 builds worth the premium. The good news is we’re seeing a rare discount on something that has an RTX 5090 in it, a solid 10%, or $550 off, knocking this build down to $5,049.99. What’s not to love?

2 Lisen 6.6ft 240W USB Type-C Cables

Thanks to my kids destroying countless USB cables over the years, I know what makes a USB-C charging cable that lasts. Braided wins out over rubber cable every day of the week due to its flexibility and durability. Thick caps on either side protecting the port will also be a lifesaver, but getting 240W-capable cables can sometimes cost a fortune.
Not today! You can get Lisen’s 6.6ft double pack for a ridiculously reasonable $5.60. These will handle fast charging for pretty much everything you can think of, from a mobile phone or Switch 2 to a MacBook. Even if you don’t need a new cable, it’s worth buying spares when deals like this crop up.

JVSCAM Cordless Electric Air Duster

Cleaning dust or crumbs out of your keyboard is a pain. No-one likes doing it and it takes ages to brush them all out. I was in the “Why the hell do I need an electric duster” camp, but then I bought one and I’m using it quite a lot.

I use mine to clear out vents, fans, GPU and more inside my PC, and even use it to get to hard-to-reach places in the car and on my desk. They’re very handy to have in your desk drawer and it’s a great deal for $20.

Pokémon TCG: Market Value at Amazon

Well, the good news is you can get the Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box with Prime delivery without getting stung. It has nine booster packs, a gorgeous Charcadet Illustration Rare promo, Mega Charizard X–themed sleeves, card dividers, a tournament-legal coin, alongside some nice-looking dice.

Cynthia’s Garchomp ex Premium Collection has four Journey Together and two Destined Rivals booster packs, so if Trainer Pokémon cards are your thing, you’re good to go.

Pokémon TCG: Cheapest at TCGPlayer

If it were me making a choice from the TCGPlayer selection here, I’d go for the Destined Rivals Booster Bundle. It’s $13 cheaper than Amazon right now and works out at $4.66 per booster pack, which is one of the best prices I’ve seen for Destined Rivals booster packs recently.

If you want a decent Mega ex card for your Grass-type deck, I’d recommend the Mega Venusaur ex Premium Collection. If you run Meganium alongside it from Mega Evolution, you can double your Grass Energy value while being able to move a Grass Energy from one Pokémon to another thanks to their abilities. That means you can set up and use Mega Venusaur ex’s “Jungle Dump” attack for 240 damage in one turn (it costs four Grass Energy).

You’ll also get the following booster packs:

  • 2 × Mega Evolution
  • 2 × Destined Rivals
  • 4 × Journey Together

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Top Five Most-Played Games on PlayStation and Xbox in 2025 in the US Were the Same as in 2024

2025 was bursting with really cool new game releases: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yōtei, Blue Prince, Donkey Kong Bananza, I could go on. And yet, it seems like the vast majority of players (at least in the US) spent most of their time playing the old hits on repeat, because the five most popular games on PlayStation last year were exactly the same as the year before.

This comes from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, who shared on Bluesky today the top five most-played games in the US on PlayStation for 2025:

  1. Fortnite
  2. Call of Duty
  3. GTA V
  4. Roblox
  5. Minecraft

And for 2024:

  1. Fortnite
  2. Call of Duty
  3. GTA V
  4. Roblox
  5. Minecraft

(They’re the same picture.)

The layout is different (I guess) on Xbox, with Minecraft and Roblox flipped for 2025, and a slightly more complicated order for 2024: Call of Duty at No. 1, then Fortnite, Minecraft, GTA V, Roblox. But uh, same five games.

It’s a pretty damning indictment of the current state of the industry. As Piscatella said himself almost a year ago on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, this is a fairly recent trend. As he explains, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in the video game audience, with huge numbers of people playing games who never had before. As a result, many of the major gaming markets effectively reached a cap on how many new players they can obtain in future years, because everyone was already there.

On top of that, that capped audience is now playing a smaller number of games overall. Some of that is just because games are getting more expensive. More people are gravitating toward live service games they’re already familiar with where they can spend smaller amounts of money for a fun experience on a platform they already own, rather than spend larger amounts of money to try new things on new platforms.

But some of that is simply a natural consequence of the rise of live service. As Piscatella continues to explain, the way the market used to work is that players would buy one big new game, spend all their time on that, then move onto the next one. But people just aren’t buying new games anymore.

“If you take the top ten service games every month…on PlayStation and Xbox, seven out of every ten people that turn on their console will play at least one of those games every month, and in terms of total time they’re taking, those ten games alone every month take up 40% of total playtime on the consoles.”

Piscatella also shares that at the time, Circana expected 30% of people that play video games would not buy a video game in 2025 (the actual numbers for the full year haven’t been released just yet). A further 18% would purchase a new game every six months or less frequently. Only 12% buy a game once a month, and 4% buy new games more often than that.

“So when we’re talking about the developers and publishers who are being hurt the most, are the games that are really targeting this 16% of total players that are purchasing very frequently, while the vast majority of players are buying a game or two a year, and they’re playing Fornite, Minecraft, and Roblox.”

The result is that it’s harder than ever for brand new games to break through, which has been a major part of the recent wave of layoffs, studio closures, project cancelations, and just general industry devasation that we’ve been reporting on primarily in the US industry for the last couple of years.

Piscatella concluded that Kinda Funny presentation with a sentence he’s said to me many times, and continues to say: “The biggest competitor to any new video game is Fortnite.”

Circana is expected to release its full report on US video game sales in 2025 later this month.

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

Every Sonic Game on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026

If you want a single platform to play games at home and on the go, the Nintendo Switch has got your back. Even better if you’re a fan of Sonic: Ever since the Switch arrived in 2017, Sega has worked like clockwork to consistently release Sonic games for the hybrid console. Last year we got Sonic x Shadow Generations alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, so it’s safe to say Sega’s speedster is bigger than ever.

Now that the Switch 2 has officially launched, it’s pretty much guaranteed more Sonic games are on the way. The next big release, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, is launching on the original system, but as we move toward Switch 2-exclusives, some good ol’ backward compatibility means your existing Sonic games aren’t going anywhere.

For anyone looking to check out the modern era of Sonic (and friends), here are all the Sonic the Hedgehog games you can play right now as well as upcoming Sonic games on the Switch 2.

How Many Sonic Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

A total of ten Sonic games have been released for Nintendo Switch. This spans the first year of the system back in 2017 to the most recent game, Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, released in 2025. Keep in mind that this list below does not include the additional games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Every Sonic Game Released on the Switch (in Release Order)

Sonic Mania (2017)

Sonic Mania was developed by PagodaWest Games and Sonic fangame community member Christian Whitehead as a love letter to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog titles released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD platforms. Taking place after the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the game remixes eight iconic levels, including Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone, and introduces five new ones, including the glamorous Studiopolis Zone and the peaceful Press Garden Zone. This game also introduces a new troupe of Eggbots called the Hard-Boiled Heavies for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to beat.

Mania is considered one of the best Sonic games of the 2010s because of the experiment in allowing a group of Sonic fans to create a game other Sonic fans would love, the vivid neon graphics, and the new challenges present in every stage.

Sonic Forces (2017)

Sonic Forces makes Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic form a resistance against Dr. Eggman after he conquered most of the world alongside Infinite, a masked jackal who uses the Phantom Ruby to create doppelgangers and warp reality. The game switches gameplay modes between third-person Boost gameplay with Modern Sonic, side-scrolling gameplay with Classic Sonic, and a mode with the custom avatar character, which can be any animal you want, whose weapons use Wisp power-ups. Forces’ writing and lighting aren’t exactly the best in the series, but the game is still tolerable for some people.

Team Sonic Racing (2019)

Team Sonic Racing takes racing games to a whole new level by having players race with each other, not against each other. This game has a cooperative gameplay mechanic similar to Splatoon and Overwatch, using Sonic Heroes as a frame of reference, where you play in teams of three characters and work together to win each race, paying very close attention to your teammates’ performance and sharing Wisp power-ups with them to allow them to speed up and pull your ranks. Since most of the karts are sports cars, you can customize them with gold rims and paint your car any color you want West Coast Customs style.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019)

Released a year before the real-life Tokyo Olympic Games was scheduled to begin (only to be postponed to 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 brings the platform rivalry between the jolly red plumber, the speedy blue hedgehog, and their respective friends back to the world stage with new events, like surfing, skateboarding, karate, and sport climbing, and bonus features. The game includes a story mode that takes Mario and Sonic back to the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and their early 2D sprite selves, while everyone else works to help bring them back to the real world in the present day. You get the best of both eras and some history lessons about the Olympic Games in Tokyo to go with it.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2021)

Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a remastered version of the original Sonic Colors developed by Blind Squirrel Games for Sonic’s 30th anniversary in 2021. The remaster enhanced the graphics to brighten up the colors of Eggman’s interplanetary amusement park and the character models, introduced a new Jade Ghost Wisp to help Sonic phase through walls and ceilings, replaced the traditional lives with rescues from Tails, and introduced mini races against Metal Sonic. You can also collect Park Tokens to customize Sonic with the wackiest designs for his shoes and gloves.

Sonic Origins (2022)

Sonic Origins compiles the first four classic Sonic games released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD and remasters them for modern consoles and the audience that plays on them, whether they’re veteran fans seeking a nostalgia fix or young fans who want to understand Sonic’s history. Players can experience the game in Classic Mode, which is the original format presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio, or Anniversary Mode, which replaces lives with coins and allows Sonic to use Drop Dash as he did in Sonic Mania. Each game in the compilation features new animated cutscenes at the beginning and end done by the incomparable Tyson Heese to connect all four games into a cohesive story, provided you play them in the original release order.

Sonic Frontiers (2022)

Sonic Frontiers is the first open-world game in the Sonic franchise – or should we say, “open-zone”? – born out of a trend of open-world games being styled after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Sonic explores the vast Starfall Islands to fight cybernetic enemies, solve various puzzles, and run through Cyber Space levels modeled after the levels from past Sonic titles in an effort to save his friends from the digitized dimension. Both veteran and new Sonic fans alike will enjoy running around the mysterious island set to a soundtrack that strikes a delicate balance between serenity and chaos.

Sonic Superstars (2023)

Sonic Superstars is a collaborative effort between Sega and Arzest to bring 3D graphics to a Classic Sonic game, a move that surprised everyone at the 2023 Summer Game Fest (including this author). With Classic Sonic being a CGI character on his own for the first time and classic levels getting revamped with new music and upgraded level designs, the game allows up to four people to locally play together as Sonic and his friends throughout 11 levels across the Northstar Islands and grants new powers for every Chaos Emerald they collect to overcome obstacles.

Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a remastered version of 2011’s Sonic Generation that goes beyond graphical upgrades and quality-of-life improvements by including an all-new campaign comprised of reminagined Shadow stages from past Sonic games. The two campaigns combine for 15-20 hours of content across over 150 stages, leading us to say in our Shadow x Generations review that it “soars far and above previous enhanced versions we’ve gotten in the Sonic franchise.”

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (2025)

The latest Sonic game follows up on 2019’s Team Sonic Racing, featuring the full set of Sonic characters as well as new crossover racers like Joker, Hatsune Miku, and Steve from Minecraft. Jada Griffin’s review of Cross Worlds for IGN says the game “fires on all cylinders with a fantastic roster, excellent courses, and lengthy list of customization options.”

More Sonic Games Available with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

If you’re looking to play some classic Sonic games with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, there are a few available under the SEGA catalog. You can find more info about them below:

Upcoming Sonic Games on the Switch

Sonic the Hedgehog is reaching its 35th anniversary in 2026, joining a host of other video game anniversaries that will make you question the passage of time. Some fans speculate the anniversary will lead to a new release, but SEGA hasn’t confirmed any upcoming Switch games yet.

Outside of games, Paramount has confirmed it will make Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The movie is targeting a Spring 2027 release window.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Vanran, a Soulslike with Shadow of the Colossus-Sized Boss Battles, Drops New Trailer and Demo Release Date

Vanran, a fast-paced soulslike action game with Shadow of the Colossus-sized boss battles, is getting a playable demo later this month. Check out the new trailer above, and the reveal trailer below.

If this is your first time hearing about Vanran, it’s an indie-developed, faster-paced-than-usual soulslike that features random dungeons, and whose developers at Becuzus describe its fantasy world as such: “Vanran is a dark fantasy action RPG where a fallen human slave wields a sealed blade to spark rebellion. Players walk a brutal path toward freedom in a world of despair.”

A playable demo will be available on Steam from January 23-30, and you can wishlist it on Steam if you’re interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Microsoft’s First Xbox Game Pass Announcement of 2026 Confirms Star Wars Outlaws, Resident Evil Village, and More for January

Microsoft has made its first Xbox Game Pass announcement of 2026, confirming a number of big hitters for January.

The headline additions are Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws and Capcom’s Resident Evil Village, but there’s plenty more coming to subscribers this month, as confirmed on Xbox Wire. 11 titles in total were announced for this month, taking fans through to January 20.

Available today, January 6, is twin-stick shooter Brews & Bastards (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) and Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S), both available across Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.

Tomorrow, January 7, Rebellion’s Atomfall (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) hits Game Pass Premium, as does Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Rematch (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S), and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S).

Moving on to January 8. Final Fantasy (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), a remodeled 2D take on the first game in the series, launches on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.

Then, on January 13, we have Star Wars Outlaws (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass. Two days later, on January 15, My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.

January 20 sees Resident Evil Village (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass, and the only day-one launch of the month: MIO: Memories in Orbit (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass January 2026 lineup:

Leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 15, 2026:

As always, a number of games leave Game Pass. You can save up to 20% if you buy them.

  • Flintlock The Siege of Dawn (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
  • Neon White (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
  • Road 96 (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
  • The Ascent (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
  • The Grinch Christmas Adventures (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)

Microsoft described today’s lineup as Wave 1 of January 2026, so expect more games to hit Game Pass later in January.

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.