Category: IGN

If you still haven’t yet picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 because it’s too expensive, there is an opportunity to get one at a discounted price. AliExpress is offering a Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World console bundle for just $442.72 (normally $500) after you apply a $100 off coupon code “AEUS100” during checkout. It ships free locally from the United States (which means no tariffs and no obnoxiously long wait times).

Note that the console is a Hong Kong import. All international Switch consoles are region unlocked, meaning they can be used in the US without any problems and without any modification. You’ll also be able to select English as your default language. This specific model will come with a Hong Kong style plug, but a US adapter is included. Imported consoles do not get a US-based Nintendo warranty. Fortunately, Aliexpress offers a generous 90-day free return window.

Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World for $442.72

Brand new, genuine, imported, region unlocked units

Following the Nintendo Direct on August 19, Kirby Air Riders for the Switch 2 went up for preorder on the Nintendo eShop for $69.99, or $10 less than the Mario racing sim. Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco, the same team behind Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, has teamed up to make this game, setting expectations high. Besides the obvious graphical improvements, gameplay changes, and track additions compared to the original Kirby Air Ride way back in 2003 for the Gamecube, other updates include an expanded roster that includes Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Chef Kawasaki, and Bandana Waddle Dee, more abilities, and more copy moves.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

What if the 1980’s became the jumping off point for the future? Like how this year’s Fantastic Four movie was a ’50’s version of the future? Enter ROUTINE, an upcoming first-person sci-fi horror game set on a lunar base. Like all good horror games, silence and loneliness are your worst enemies, and that’s true in ROUTINE – except for the part where you discover a foe who thinks the primary threat is, in fact, you. Piece together the events that took place prior to your arrival, and try to survive.

ROUTINE is our IGN First “cover story” game for November, ahead of its December 4 release for PC (Steam and Xbox on PC) and Xbox (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox Cloud) – including Xbox Game Pass on day one. This first exclusive video (watch it above) introduces you to the C.A.T. Ultraview Module, a tool you’ll need to make frequent use of as you explore the lunar base. It looks like a camcorder and a radar gun had a baby, and…you’ll have to check out the video to see what it does.

ROUTINE has quite the development story, having originally been announced over a decade ago. It was re-revealed in 2022, and we finally played it for the first time earlier this year. Stay tuned all November long for more exclusive IGN First coverage. In the meantime, you can wishlist ROUTINE 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.

Ball X Pit is the latest obsession to grip gamers, a chaotic roguelite that mashes together the mechanics of games like Peggle, Diablo and Vampire Survivors to make something that’s impossible to characterize, but is dangerously playable. Somehow it’s the work of one man, Kenny Sun, a game developer from Brooklyn, NY who loves games like Vampire Survivors, Deep Rock Galactic Survivor and Blotch Arrow. We spoke to Sun to first of all, confirm how the hell we say the Ball x Pit out loud, and then to talk about how he created this moreish Frankenstein’s monster of a game.

“It’s Ball Pit. Just Ball Pit. There’s no X,” explains Sun. “It’s mostly a tribute to anime like Phantom Hunter. Also, X can mean fusion, which ties into the game’s theme.” He also reveals that when he first had to choose a game name for Steam, it was City of Balls.

“It started when I played a mobile brick-breaker roguelite a few years ago. I got hooked but didn’t like all the free-to-play elements. So I wanted to make a version without that — a buy-once experience. From there, it evolved through tons of iteration,” Sun says, explaining the game’s origin, and why he settled on building a farm as a key part of progressing through the game.

“I wanted something more visual and personal than just menus — something with identity. I liked the idea of little characters bouncing around a base. Plus, I did base-building in my last game, so it wasn’t a huge leap.”

Some ideas didn’t make the cut, but Sun hinted that at least a few could come back with updates to the game.

“I try not to waste work, so most ideas make it in. But one was a magma ball that left lava trails enemies would take damage from — once the game started scrolling, it didn’t make sense visually, so we cut it,” he says, as for something we could see one day.

“I cut a pet system — you could bring pets into levels and they’d gain XP. It was fun but too much on top of character progression. There was even a monkey that jumped on enemies.”

And Sun has already been making updates, listening to feedback from players and tweaking the mechanics to make quality of life improvements. “Hitboxes were misaligned, so I redid them. And I added luck protection for fishing — players didn’t like getting too many bad rolls in a row.”

If you haven’t played Ball X Pit yet (and you really should) we asked Sun for his top tip to give you a head start.

“Aim for the back of the board so the balls ricochet around — that’s key for damage,” he advises. His personal favorite combo? “I like hemorrhage builds — combine it with area-of-effect stuff like lightning or ghost. Flash hits everything on screen.”

His favorite villager? “The one whose balls bounce off the back. I love chaotic screens. Combine him with Cohabitants for double the balls — it’s wild.”

Ball X Pit is out now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, with a Nintendo 2 version on its way soon. As for future updates?

“I can say there’s more coming, but not what exactly,” teases Sun. “The game’s done really well, and it feels right to give players a bit more.”

Rachel Weber is the Senior Editorial Director of Games at IGN and an elder millennial. She’s been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, and French Bulldogs. Those extra wrinkles on her face are thanks to going time blind and staying up too late finishing every sidequest in RPGs like Fallout and Witcher 3.

Fortnite developer Epic Games has issued a fresh user survey polling players over its pet-like Sidekicks — and in particular, the need to rebuy each creature to get another version, after your basic design choices are made permanent.

Currently, Fortnite forces fans to lock in their Sidekick’s body color, shape and style upon first use, and warns players that their decision cannot be changed again.

For now, just one Sidekick animal is available — banana dog hybrid Peels, which you get two of within Fortnite’s current The Simpsons battle pass. Upon first equipping the pooch, you must decide from three banana skin colors (yellow, yellow-green, or mottled), an ear shape (pointy, less pointy, flat) and a body style (slender, or thicc).

After this, each Sidekick also comes with its own mini battle pass of cosmetic add-ons (Peels has an emote where it dances with maracas, and also a couple of shirt options it can wear that can be equipped at will). But the creature’s base design choices are indeed no longer changeable, leaving players who want to try other body options seeking a separate Peels incarnation to change from the ground up.

Later this week, on November 7, a selection of additional Sidekicks will be available separately via the Fortnite in-game shop, with upcoming creatures set to include more dog breeds, a dinosaur, and even a Fishstick fish in a bubble. Each will cost either 1,200 or 1,500 V-Bucks (around $10-$14), and each is expected to offer numerous permanent cosmetic options fans will have to buy numerous versions of to own them all.

Amid the backlash to this decision, Epic Games has sent a fresh user survey sent to Fortnite players, including myself, that specifically asks for feedback on Sidekicks’ permanent customization mechanic — offering some fans a glimmer of hope that the whole thing is being reconsidered.

“How do you feel about the Sidekicks cosmetic?” asks one question. “Did you know that Sidekicks have basic features that you can only customize once upon claiming that Sidekick (e.g. its color and shape?” asks another. And then:

“How do you feel about having to purchase an additional copy of the same Sidekick if you want to customize your Sidekick with different basic features?” asks a third query, with various options to reply, from “strongly dislike” to “strongly like.”

Some fans have suggested Epic Games originally envisaged buying Sidekicks to be like adopting a creature from a pet shop — with a specific design you bond with over time (and as you unlock their battle pass). Others have also said that the pricing here, while steep, is little different to Fortnite’s also widely-disliked Kicks (digital shoes), which often cost upwards of 1,000 V-Bucks for licensed designs, and regularly require players to buy multiple copies to access different colors. (Around a dozen near-identical digital pairs of Crocs exist in the game, each of which must be bought separately.)

But others have compared Sidekicks to the highly customizable nature of many character skins — and indeed, the color options available to Fortnite’s more-basic Pets, which launched back during the game’s earlier years, and can be customized at will.

Certainly, it feels like the widespread response to Sidekicks’ design limitations has struck a chord. Far from a fun new cosmetic type — and one that could prove hugely lucrative, when licensed Sidekicks like Grogu and Stitch arrive — launching to positive sentiment, their soft-launch via Peels has only stirred up a backlash, with various reddit threads and social media posts now encouraging other players not to buy more when they do go on sale later this week.

Will Epic Games change course? Time will tell, though answers to that survey (and the sales from this week’s shop update) may play a part.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass November 2025 Wave 1 lineup of games, headlined by Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

As a Microsoft-owned video game, Black Ops 7 launches straight into Game Pass day one when it comes out on November 14. That’s across cloud, console, and PC for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers only.

But there are a number of games hitting Game Pass before Treyarch and Raven’s first-person shooter arrives. On November 5, Dead Static Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC) arrives on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as another day one release.

As per Xbox Wire, Dead Static Drive is “Grand Theft Cthulhu.” “An indie survival-horror game following a nightmarish road trip across a 1980s Americana, Dead Static Drive blends weird fiction and uncanny Eldritch themes with a spooky unease underlying this small-town life,” Microsoft said.

Also on November 5 is Rebellion’s Sniper Elite: Resistance (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Premium. Here’s the official blurb:

Offering unparalleled sniping mechanics, stealth and tactical third-person combat, Sniper Elite: Resistance turns the attention of the award-winning series towards a hidden war, far from the front lines, deep within the heart of occupied France. Bring a friend – the full campaign can be experienced in co-op.

On November 6, Egging On (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one launch. The day one launches continue with Whiskerwood (PC), also on November 6, for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Moving on, November 7 sees Voidtrain (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) launch across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. November 11 sees Great God Grove (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. Also on November 11, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. And, on November 11, Pigeon Simulator (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) is a day one launch on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

November 12 sees Relic Hunters Legend (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. Also on November 12 is the day one release of Winter Burrow (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. And of course, Wave 1 ends with the big one: Black Ops 7 on November 14.

Xbox Game Pass November 2025 Wave 1 lineup:

• Dead Static Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 5 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Sniper Elite: Resistance (Cloud, Console, and PC – November 5 Now with Game Pass Premium
• Egging On (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 6 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Whiskerwood (PC) – November 6 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Voidtrain (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 7 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Premium
• Great God Grove (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 11 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Premium
• Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 11 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Premium
• Pigeon Simulator (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 11 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Relic Hunters Legend (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 12 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Premium
• Winter Burrow (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 12 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 14 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

It’s worth remembering that, following Microsoft’s recent Game Pass price hike and rebranding of some tiers, we’re now talking about what’s on Game Pass Premium and Essential, rather than Standard and Core. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass keep their names.

As already announced, a number of games leave Game Pass this month. The loss of Stalker 2 in particular has caused some subscribers to express their frustration, coming as it does a year after its timed console exclusive release on Xbox and ahead of its PS5 release date. As always, you can save up to 20% if you buy these games to keep them in your library.

Games leaving Xbox Game Pass on November 15:

• Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Football Manager 2024 (PC)
• Football Manager 2024 Console Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Frostpunk (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Spirittea (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chernobyl (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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.

Road-Side Shawarma has released its first code, giving you a free revive just in case you ignored the rules for surviving each night.

This horror Roblox experience sees you join the kitchen at a popular shawarma spot, where you’ll work through three night shifts. If you follow the rules set by the mysterious stranger on the phone, keep your serving station restocked, and fulfill each customer’s order, you should survive until the end. But if you do get tempted to look up when the ceiling starts leaking, then this Road-Side Shawarma code for a free revive will help you out.

Working Road-Side Shawarma Codes

The following codes have been tested and can be redeemed:

• SHAWARMATHEBEST – 1x Revive

How to Use Road-Side Shawarma Codes

Launch Road-Side Shawarma on Roblox and then follow these steps to redeem codes:

1. In the waiting lobby, click on the icon that looks like a bird on the left of the screen
2. Copy the code from this article
3. Press Redeem and brave your shift!

Expired Road-Side Shawarma Codes

Road-Side Shawarma has just launched codes, so there are currently no expired codes. Make the most of the ones available and redeem them before they disappear.

Why Isn’t My Road-Side Shawarma Code Working?

Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you’ve got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they’re working. Just double-check that you haven’t copied over an extra space!

When Is the Next Road-Side Shawarma Update?

Road-Side Shawarma has just extended their previous update, which was the Halloween event. This will run until November 9th, 2025, and has introduced new monsters you can encounter while serving up shawarma. You’ve got until November 9th to participate and earn yourself a special badge.

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.

In the autumn honors list, the Japanese government has given Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii the Order of the Rising Sun. This is one of the highest awards the government of Japan can bestow on citizens. It is awarded to those who have made significant contributions in their field, and Horii is the first game creator to receive it.

“I think it’s a great honor, I’m surprised.” Horii responded in a video interview with TBS. “I’ve been making games for quite a long time now, about 40 years, but I didn’t do it alone. It’s all thanks to the staff who helped create the games alongside me, and to all the players who have continuously supported us.”

The director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has ordered a reexamination of Nintendo’s controversial ‘summon character and let it fight’ Pokémon patent after it was heavily criticized by IP lawyers.

In September, IP lawyers criticized the U.S. patent system and the USPTO after Nintendo was awarded a Pokémon patent that revolves around summoning a character and letting it fight.

Games Fray reported that Patent No. 12,403,397, dubbed the ‘397 patent, was granted by the USPTO “without any objection” to Nintendo, which is embroiled in ongoing litigation with Pocketpair’s Palworld.

While the patent sums up how Pokémon games work in that you summon Pokémon to battle other Pokémon in the hope of adding them to your collection, there are countless other games that use similar mechanics, such as Persona, Digimon, and even Elden Ring, depending upon how the patent is interpreted.

At the time, IP expert Florian Mueller took to social media to say Nintendo “should never” have received a “summon character and let it fight” patent in the first place, while video game patent lawyer Kirk Sigmon told PC Gamer “these claims were in no way allowable.”

Now, Games Fray has reported that Donald Trump nominee John A. Squires, who only became director of the USPTO in September, has personally ordered a reexamination after he “determined that substantial new questions of patentability have arisen” to certain claims made by the patent.

Here’s Squires’ description of the claims in question:

“The ‘397 patent issued with claims drawn to controlling the movement of a player character in a field of a virtual space, causing a sub character to appear in the field, controlling a battle in a manual mode when an enemy character is present in the location the sub character has appeared, and when an enemy character is not present in the location the sub character has appeared, automatically moving the sub character, and controlling a battle in an automatic mode when an enemy character is placed at a designated location.”

In his order, Squires pointed to two older U.S. patent applications — one filed by Konami in 2002, the other by Nintendo itself in 2019 — as “prior art” references. Both, Squires said, would be “important in deciding whether the claims are patentable,” and each “raises a substantial new question of patentability.”

Mueller, writing for Games Fray, said Squires’ order was down to the “public outrage” at the award of the patent, and concerns about the reputation of the U.S. patent system as a whole. While this reexamination isn’t a revocation order, Mueller insisted it is now “highly likely” that the USPTO will revoke Nintendo’s ‘397 patent. Nintendo has two months to respond.

What does this mean for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s high-profile legal battle with Pocketpair over Palworld? Mueller said it “further undermines the credibility” of Nintendo’s patent assertions against Pocketpair’s game.

This is the latest legal blow for Nintendo in its battle against Palworld. Last month, one of the Nintendo patents related to its monster capture patents filed last year was rejected by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for lacking originality. The office’s reasoning for the rejection made reference to older games with similar mechanics that were released even before 2021, including ARK (released in 2015), Monster Hunter 4 (2013), and Japanese browser game Kantai Collection (also 2013). Ironically, Pocketpair’s Craftopia (2020) and Niantic’s Pokémon Go (2016) were among other examples of games that were used to argue that the patent lacks originality.

The case involves three main patents granted by the JPO: two related to monster capture and release, and one related to riding characters. All three patents were filed in 2024, after Palworld came out. However, they are actually derived from earlier Nintendo patents dating from 2021. In other words, it seems that once Palworld came on the scene, Nintendo filed divisional patents that were geared to fight specifically against Palworld’s alleged infringement of the original patents.

Since then, Pocketpair has made changes to Palworld’s disputed mechanics. The November 2024 patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pokéball-like Pal Spheres (now Pals just materialize next to you when summoned). In May this year, another Palworld update changed how you can glide in the game — instead of directly grabbing onto Glider Pals, now you just simply use Pal-buffed Glider equipment. The case has rumbled on, with Nintendo even rewriting a mount-related patent mid-lawsuit, and arguing that mods should not count as prior art.

Pillars of Eternity is the surprise recipient of a patch to add turn-based mode, developer Obsidian has announced.

Fresh from releasing Avowed, Grounded 2, and The Outer Worlds 2 this year, the Microsoft-owned studio has gone back to its isometric, party-based fantasy RPG over a decade after it came out with a fresh update.

Obsidian announced a new public beta for Pillars of Eternity opens on November 5 for players on Steam and Xbox PC, which adds the turn-based mode. The reveal comes alongside a message from game director Josh Sawyer (last seen directing Pentiment), with his thoughts on what turn-based mode means for Pillars of Eternity.

“Fans who enjoyed experimenting with turn-based mode in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will find familiar ground here, but with key improvements shaped by your feedback,” Obsidian said in a blog post. More details are below.

How turn-based mode works in Pillars of Eternity:

• Unbound Turns: All turns are now influenced by a character’s overall speed, improving the value of Real-Time with Pause attributes and mechanics.
• Smarter Free Actions: Actions like swapping weapons, drinking potions, or enabling modals are now free actions. Each free action is limited to one per turn per type for balance.
• Faster Pacing: Combat lethality has been significantly increased for both enemies and players to keep battles tense and impactful.
• Mode Flexibility: You can choose Turn-Based Mode alongside difficulty when starting a new game — or swap freely between Real-Time with Pause and Turn-Based Mode in the game options. We’re also investigating a direct HUD toggle for even more convenience.

As this is a public beta, please expect bugs and ongoing adjustments, Obsidian warned. The beta will run for “some time” as the developer continues to roll out updates and prepares for a full release.

I’m not messing around with today’s Daily Deals. We’ve got Pokémon TCG product under market value on Amazon alongside some great related deals on TCGPlayer. On the otherside of the TCG sphere, Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar: The Last Airbender set releases this month, and I’ve found the best prices online to preorder right now.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

Xbox controllers are awesome not just for the latest generation of Microsoft consoles, but for PC gaming too. I’ve got some great discounts on Elite V2, Special Editions and Hyperkin blasts from the past that you can’t ignore. Looking for an extra special edition of Resident Evil: Requiem? I’ve got the preorder deets for the deluxe edition that comes with an awesome steelbook too. Let’s get into it:

Amyet V9-G60 1000W Electric Bike for $426

The Best Pokémon TCG Deals

The main highlights of these Pokémon TCG deals has to be the Black Bolt and White Flare Elite Trainer Boxes. White Flare is at market value for $82.94, whilst Black Bolt is dipping under market value at $84.95. It’s a great time to get into the dual set that capped off the Scarlet and Violet era. Don’t forget the latest set, Mega Evolution, either. TCGPlayer is destroying big box retailer Amazon in pricing right now, and that includes the Enhanced Booster Box featuring a stamped Bulbasaur Illustration Rare.

The Cheapest MTG: Avatar Preorders

The biggest saving here is with the single Avatar Collector Booster. It’s half the price of market value on Amazon now at $37.99, which is 100% worth the a look. Bar the Jumpstart Booster Box and Begginer Box, Amazon is under market value for preorders right now. Don’t forget that Amazon don’t charge for preorders until they ship, and their preorder price guarantee ensures you’re getting the best price.

Xbox Series X|S Controller Sale

Hyperkin knocked it out of the park with their OG Xbox S controllers. Yes, they’re wired, but that also means they’re perfect for competitive play thanks to zero input lag. There’s also three special edition controllers which never stick around for long, and one of the best controllers ever made, Xbox Elite V2, is on offer for $139.99 currently too. Don’t sleep on these deals.

Resident Evil: Requiem Deluxe + Steelbook

No discounts, but this is one for steelbook collectors. You’ll get the base game, deluxe edition content and a cool steelbook and sleeve for this special edition of Resident Evil: Requiem. The Deluxe Edition include’s the Apocalypse costume for Grace as they flick between first and third person views whenever they want, a first for the series.

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.