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The Best Murder Mystery Tabletop Games for a Killer Good Time

When it comes to planning out a game night, you can never go wrong with a murder mystery game. Even in a world where virtual party games exist online, nothing quite beats having a physical board game for game night. Mystery board games are fun for everyone involved, giving guests a thrilling whodunit throughout the night to keep people engaged and on their toes. What’s more, there are numerous types of board games within this genre to choose from, whether you want a classic game of Clue to play with the whole family, or something more involved to play with friends like One Night Ultimate Werewolf.

TL;DR: These are the Best Murder Mystery Games

In this board game shopping guide, we’ve collected some of our favorite murder mystery games that are well worth picking up for your next game night. Although selected with adults in mind, each one offers a unique experience and can be played with a wide range of players so you can find one that best fits your crew and vibe! Which ones have you played?

Additional contributions by Hannah Houlihan

Clue

One of the most well known board games in general, Clue is a classic murder mystery game that can be played with up to 6 players. Each player is a suspect as you gather information to try and unravel the mystery behind who killed Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion, along with pinpointing where he was killed and with what weapon. A classic detective game for the whole fam and one of the best family board games you can buy.

There are a lot of different versions of this game available in 2025, including an Advent calendar version you play all month long.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Werewolf is a beloved game that’s great for big groups, but One Night Ultimate Werewolf takes it in a thrilling, fast-paced direction with no moderator, no elimination, and no downtime. Play a quick round with up to 10 people and solve the mystery of who’s the Werewolf over the course of one night.

If you’re looking for more party games like this, you can check out our guide to the best board games for large groups.

Mysterium

This game takes solving a murder mystery to a new level, as one player takes on the role of a restless ghost who assists the rest of the players, who take on the role of psychics, to help figure out who their killer is. It can be played with up to 7 players and will take you just over 40 minutes to play through. It’s the perfect mix of mystery and horror board game.

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on The Orient Express

Exit: The Game brings the Escape Room setup into your own home. With this story, you’ll need to step into your Agatha Christie shoes to solve the case before the train reaches its destination. It can only be played once, though, as you’ll need to dig into the case materials in the box to write down notes, fold, and cut different materials.

If you’re interested in this type of game, we’ve researched a variety of other escape room board games you may also like.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective – The Thames Murders & Other Cases

In a similar vein of classic detectives and stories, the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective – The Thames Murders & Other Cases game is another way to step into those shoes to solve a case. This one in particular features 10 detailed mysteries in total to solve around Victorian London, so you can keep the murder mystery game nights going for a while or play completely solo. The Sherlock Holmes board game series are a bit more challenging than a classic whodunit – best for ages 12+ – but many adults find it hard too!

If you find yourself really enjoying the theme of this game, we recommend you also check out our guide to the Sherlock Holmes books in order. Arthur Conan Doyles original stories are what started it all.

Hunt a Killer – Death at The Dive Bar

For true crime fans, this game is one to add to your collection. Hunt a Killer – Death at the Dive Bar is an immersive puzzle game that can be played with 1 or more players and involves you solving the death of a local bar owner named Nick Webster. It’ll take you about 45-60 minutes to work through as well.

As a brand, Hunt a Killer has a ton of different options to choose from. So if you don’t like this particular mystery, you can check out the website for everything currently available.

University Games Murder Mystery Party Case Files: Underwood Cellars

For those who want an even more in-depth murder mystery to solve, the Underwood Cellars Murder Mystery Party Case Files will take you about 2 hours or longer to get through. While playing, you’ll need to figure out what happened to famed Napa winemaker Cary Underwood, whose body was recently found after disappearing 20 years ago.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Unlike a few of the games listed above, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong will only take you a quick 20 minutes. Similar to Werewolf, this is a game where you and a group of people try to narrow down who commited the murder. Players take on the role of Murderer, Accomplice, Forensic Scientist, Witness, and Investigators, with each having an interesting part to play in the mystery.

13 Dead End Drive

This game is another classic murder mystery board game for everyone to enjoy, especially since it’s a bit like a board game version of Knives Out. In this game, Aunt Agatha has passed away, and without any surviving relatives, she’s left her vast fortune up for grabs. Only one will inherit it… will it be you? Play with up to four players and set traps to get rid of the competition.

MicroMacro: Crime City

Not only is this game filled with 16 different cases to solve, but solving them has an interesting Where’s Waldo element as well. You’ll need a keen eye to track everything down, but a magnifying glass is included with the box so you can get in close to investigate every detail. You can play with up to four people and it’ll take you between 15-45 minutes to complete.

Rear Window

Based on Hitchcock’s famous thriller movie of the same name, this riffs on Mysterium’s structure. One player is the director, who draws a random selection of people to live in four apartments and some associated characteristics for them. They then have to use a limited selection of images to try and communicate to the other players, without words, who it is that lives in which apartment. Except this game has a colossal potential twist: sometimes, but not always, there’s also a murder to solve. In this instance the game is no longer a cosy cooperative affair as the director can win if the murder stays secret, while the other players gain a team victory if they can work it out. It’s an intriguing twist that makes every game a tightrope worthy of the master of suspense himself.

Cryptic Killers: Murder of a Millionaire

Cryptic Killers is an enormously popular series of murder mystery cases that you can either solve solo or cooperatively. Murder of a Millionaire was the first in the franchise, leveraging a cunning range of visual and text clues, alongside frustrating red herrings, to present you with the case of Chloe, a lottery winner found dead in the park. You’ll need to solve logic puzzles as well as interweave vital details from the reams of included props to work out which of the game’s suspects has an alibi, and which are guilty. As well as being a great mystery, the pack contents encourage you into the lives of its characters, creating a compelling narrative alongside a fun case to solve.

Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game

Detective sells itself on some bold claims. Firstly, that it’s a highly realistic simulacrum of real police work, casting you in the shoes of genuine modern-day detectives presented with reams of evidence from its online case files. Second, that it’s a long-term campaign in which information in early cases can often become relevant again in much later ones, creating an engrossing, branching narrative to enjoy. While only actual police detectives can comment on the first claim it certainly mixes murder mystery and board game mechanics to present you with complex cases to work through, and it delivers handsomely on its second claim, drawing you in to a story worthy of top drawer TV drama.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. He’s also been published in The Guardian, Dicebreaker and Senet Magazine as well as being the author and co-author of several books on board games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

The Biggest Magic: The Gathering Crashers and Climbers This Week – August 13

The Magic: The Gathering release calendar puts us squarely in Edge of Eternities territory now (until Spider-Man next month…), and our new Lobster Overlord, Ragost, is still seeing a lot of love.

While last week was all centered around the custacean king, another card has usurped him with a rocketing market value. Here’s what we have this week, courtesy of data from TCGPlayer.

Loads of Energy

If you saw this coming, you might want to buy a lottery ticket, because Energy Chamber has seen a significant price jump despite being a card that debuted 21 years ago.

It was available for a few cents, but foil versions have climbed up to almost $12. It remains to be seen if that’ll hold, but the increased value is due to its ability to generate counters in the upkeep step. That’s an ideal inclusion for the new Counter Intelligence precon, or the Final Fantasy Counter Blitz precon.

Next up, Ragost, Deft Gastronaut is sticking around, now at around $15. Its market value, however, is low. Expect to see it drop as more printings arrive.

He’s causing a bit of a stir in Commander now, too, with Legion Extruder seeing a steep increase in value up to around $10. For context, that’s a 600% increase in market value for a two-cost card that deals damage when entering and can sacrifice other artifacts to create Golem tokens.

Also on the rise is Simulacrum Synthesizer, which is up to over $40 after a drop in recent weeks. A three-cost Artifact that turns other artifacts into artifact creature tokens, it’s a powerful card that’s also seen a buff from ol’ Ragost.

Finally, Astrid Peth has seen a comeback since debuting in the Universes Beyond: Doctor Who set.

She creates Food tokens, while also exploring when you sacrifice them, potentially keeping the land flowing or powering up Astrid.

Planetfall

A few Edge of Eternities cards are starting to drop off, with Adagia, Windswept Bastion losing 77% of its value according to TCGPlayer.

Famished Worldsire is still up for almost $20, but its market value has dropped to around $8 for the extended art version.

Thrumming Hivepool is trending downward significantly, too, now with market value of around $6, while the Showcase version of The Dominion Bracelet is now $7 and change down from close to $45 in recent weeks.

Finally, the Singularity Foil remains the priciest Edge of Eternities card, but the standard version of Sothera, the Supervoid is down to a market value of under $10.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

Where To Buy Final Fantasy Collector Boosters and Precons Now That They’ve Sold Out

Magic: The Gathering’s current set may have taken us to space, but that’s not to say the Final Fantasy set that debuted in June 2025 is gone.

In fact, the set will be standard legal for quite a while yet, but given its incredible popularity, some products are unlikely to see reprints. Chief among them are Collector Boosters and Collector Editions of Commander Decks.

Here’s how you can find them.

What Happened To Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy Collector Boosters?

Collector Boosters offer 15 cards, including 5–6 cards of rarity Rare or higher and 3 – 6 Uncommon, 3 – 5 Common, and 1 Full-Art Land card, with a total of 8 – 12 Traditional Foil cards and 0 – 3 cards with a special foil treatment.

The fact that chase cards are most commonly found in Collector Boosters has meant they sell out quickly, and now command a high price on the secondary market.

While Play Boosters are likely to be reprinted regularly, Collector Booster packs are going for as much as $149.99 – for fifteen cards.

What About Collector Commander Decks?

Commander Decks will likely see reprints, and they’re already slipping below MSRP, but the Collector’s Editions are a “one and done” kind of deal.

It’s worth stressing that these don’t offer any additional cards you won’t find in the standard versions, but give every single card a foil treatment. The price for that privelege is $159.99 and up, with the Final Fantasy 7 deck closer to $500 – yikes.

But Wait!

Believe it or not, you don’t have to sell your house to buy Magic cards. There are a whole host of more affordable, but still awesome, cards you can find on the secondary market for a few dollars each.

Even some of the full-art, borderless cards are available if you know what to look for, and we’ve got a handy list.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Players Think They’ve Finally Solved the Mount Chiliad Mystery, But Others Aren’t Convinced

A Grand Theft Auto 5 content creator believes he has finally solved the infamous Mount Chiliad mystery after 12 years of sleuthing, but some members of the community aren’t convinced.

If you’ve played GTA 5 – and there’s a good chance you have – you’ve also likely heard about Mount Chiliad and the notorious UFO Easter Egg associated with it. In September 2013, almost exactly 12 years ago, eager GTA fans booted up Rockstar Games’ latest sandbox to find a trio of main characters, new locations, and a smorgasbord of mysteries to uncover. Evidence of aliens could and still can be found strewn about the Los Santos map, with players able to discover everything from extraterrestrial remains to crashed UFO ships if they know where to look.

Aliens have been a hot topic for both GTA 5’s in-game citizens and its real-life players, but it’s the mystery atop Mount Chiliad that has sent heads spinning for more than a decade. Those who make the trek up Los Santos’ unmissable rocky mountain will notice a small cavern with a strange diagram that features a maze-like pattern and four distinct markings: a UFO, a cracked egg, a person wearing a jetpack, and an all-seeing eye looking down on Mount Chiliad.

After 12 years, most GTA 5 fans still aren’t sure what it all means, but content creator Gator Keys thinks the answer has been in front of us all along.

Signs

Gator Keys, a popular YouTuber who has put on their GTA detective hat to solve some of GTA 5’s greatest mysteries for the last year, dug into what is perhaps the series’ most infamous Easter Egg with their most recent upload, titled “This is The End of the Mount Chiliad Mystery.” It’s an eight-minute video with an unfortunately anticlimactic conclusion: GTA 5 players solved the mystery years ago.

As discovered more than a decade ago, players who return to the top of Mount Chiliad after achieving 100% completion will be met with a full-on flying saucer – laser beam noises, flashing lights, and all. As an added gag, this UFO, along with some of the others found in the game, features an FIB logo, representing the Grand Theft Auto universe’s parody version of the FBI.

The assumption since GTA 5 launched all the way back in 2013 has been that there must be more to the story than just another UFO appearing in the sky. There are, after all, other flying saucers to be discovered around the map, but Gator Key believes it all truly comes back to that FIB logo.

“The whole point of this mystery is to tell us a little more,” Gator Key says. “The reason they put a UFO at the top of Mount Chiliad is to show us the FIB logo spinning on the side of it. This means the FIB created these UFOs. They are the aliens. They are the all-seeing eye.”

It makes sense – Rockstar is known for using GTA to provide commentary on the real world, and conspiracy theories about aliens play a part in that, too. Just like the players who have obsessed over Mount Chiliad and its connections to life in space, there are those in Los Santos who worship the aliens and tell tales about UFO sightings.

There are also recent comments from former Rockstar designer Ben Hinchliffe to consider. When speaking with GTAVIoclock last year, he touched on the great Mount Chiliad mystery, and although he wasn’t directly involved with its creation, he admitted that some Easter Eggs are included “just to mess with people.”

“The Mount Chiliad mystery is a play on real life,” Gator Keys adds. “The fact that the government, the people in power, control the population, and we can hit 100% all we like. We can get to the top of the mountain, but the UFO is still out of reach because we alone are not the all-seeing eye.”

They Live

It would be disappointing to see 12 years of community effort come down to little more than a misunderstanding, but if Gator Keys is correct, then that’s exactly what happened. It’s an explanation that arrives as little as one year away from the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, and it doesn’t even come close to convincing some of the die-hard GTA 5 fans who have combed over Mount Chiliad for years.

“Nonsense. The creator should stop making these types of videos,” one individual commented in a recent Reddit thread.

“He didn’t dig far enough. Itl happen someday. But hes wrong,” another user commented in an X/Twitter post.

Users on the chiliadmystery Sub Reddit, which contains more than 44,000 “hunters,” have posted as recently as just days ago as they continue to work out what may or may not be at the bottom of GTA 5’s Mount Chiliad mystery. Some believe the Easter Egg connections may continue to branch over into GTA 6, while others think there may be a connection to DLC that was canceled long ago. It is not clear how the Rockstar team may or may not continue to build on the Mount Chiliad mystery, but one thing is for sure – no one is saying anything.

For more on Rockstar and the Grand Theft Auto universe, you can check out what we know about GTA 6’s price. You can also learn about a recent National Gaming Expo event that left many attendees without an opportunity to meet stars from GTA, Red Dead Redemption, and more.

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).

Inside Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Beginner Box for Magic: The Gathering

Let’s be real, Magic: The Gathering is complicated. I’ve been playing it for decades, but knowing how or where to start is intimidating if you haven’t – until last year, when a product called the Foundations Beginner Box finally provided the excellent starting point paper Magic has needed. Now, with a brand new Beginner Box themed around the game’s upcoming crossover with Avatar: The Last Airbender just a few months away, that inviting front door is being opened up to an even wider audience.

Ahead of the Avatar set’s first look earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast sent me the Avatar Beginner Box to open up and try out for myself. It’s been every bit the flavorful introduction I hoped it would be, full of fun references to the cartoon show and simple but still mechanically interesting cards to ease newcomers in. And with over 100 brand new cards, some of which are unique to this product while others are from the main set, we have a massive amount of spoilers to show off here.

You can flip through the slideshow below or watch the video above to see every card in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Beginner Box:

If you’ve already tried the Foundations Beginner Box, this is pretty much the exact same thing with new cards and an Avatar-themed coat of paint – and if you haven’t, or are simply an Avatar fan who is dipping a toe into Magic for the first time, this is genuinely a great place to get started. It comes with 10 differently themed Jumpstart decks, each of which is essentially half of a 40-card deck so that you and a friend can each grab two, shuffle them together, and play against each other on even footing. It also comes with a simplified rule book (trust me, you don’t need to start off with the comprehensive rules), two fold-out playmats to give you a sense of how the game is laid out, and some dice and tokens to keep track of other things.

There are 120 total nonland cards in the Beginner Box, 50 of which have the TLE set code, which is represented by the set symbol that looks like Aang’s Glider (47 are brand new, while three are existing cards reprinted with new Avatar art). These cards are not part of the main set, instead only legal in places like Commander or other formats where they were already playable. The rest of the cards are from the main Avatar set, which has the set code TLA and a set symbol that looks like Aang’s head. Those are legal in Standard, with only four reprints and a handful of duplicates across the 10 theme options.

It’s hard to think of a better place for Avatar fans to start than this.

The real brilliance of the Beginner Box is how two of those Jumpstart decks are actually designed as a guided tutorial of sorts to show you and another player the ropes. They come stacked in a specific order and aren’t meant to be shuffled ahead of your first game, with each player getting their own guide book full of instructions to follow. These walk you through a mostly scripted game, complete with cute little word bubbles from Avatar characters discussing it on some of the pages.

It’s not like playing that on-rails match is particularly exciting, but by taking a note out of a lot of board game rule books that do something similar, the Beginner Box is able to provide a foundation of understanding that is a truly effective learning tool. Magic has a lot of moving parts that are mostly invisible, relying on the players to track things like the phases of a turn or who has an opportunity to act at any given time – it’s a big reason why my go-to recommendation for learning the game has long been to download the MTG Arena digital client and play through that tutorial online since it handles those things for you. (And, to be fair, that is still quite a good way to learn.) But there’s just something satisfying about learning to play this paper game with paper cards, and that tutorial match sets you up for success in a way Magic has largely lacked offline.

It’s also important that the Beginner Box isn’t just a tutorial as those introductory decks then become a part of the 10 half-deck pool, letting you mix and match themes, like pairing a green deck full of big creatures with a black deck all about going on the offensive. The idea of set packets like this isn’t anything new to Magic (Avatar is even getting its own proper Jumpstart release as well), but when the deck building of constructed formats like Standard or Commander can have a higher barrier of entry and the knowledge required for limited formats like Draft can be intimidating, it continues to be one of the most intuitive and approachable ways to enjoy Magic early on.

Of course, most of the praise I’ve slung so far is true of the original Beginner Box, too. What sets this one apart is obviously its Avatar flavor. As a huge fan of the show, it was a delight to recognize so many loving references across these decks – from different takes on characters like Aang or Sokka, to goofy moments like the one on the card How To Start a Riot from the show’s Boiling Rock episodes. There are more of Avatar’s iconic hybrid animals than I can count, clever callbacks to some of my favorite moments, and friendly (or menacing) faces in every hand you draw.

Notably, I don’t think any of these cards are going to light the competitive world on fire or anything, but they aren’t supposed to. They’re relatively simple takes on these people and places, meant to bridge the gap between Avatar fans and its Magic set. A card like Path to Redemption, which basically imprisons an opposing creature until you pay to essentially turn into an Ally, isn’t the strongest version of this sort of effect we’ve ever seen, but it is an incredibly neat way to tell part of Uncle Iroh’s story. It’s the kind of thing that helps make what Magic is trying to do flavor-wise make sense.

Other cards make more direct references with their tie-ins, particular when it comes to bending. Water, earth, fire, and airbending are all represented in both the main set and the Beginner Box, each offering a different take on what they mechanically look like in Magic. Waterbending, earthbending, and firebending even have Jumpstart decks here specifically named after them that are blue, green, and red, respectively. Those colors make sense, with airbending also intuitively making an appearance in one of the white half-decks, but they don’t seem to be restricted to them either, with some Earthbending showing up in black in this product and some other color blending happening in the main set.

All in all, using one of Magic’s Universes Beyond crossovers as the theme for a new version of the Beginner Box seems like a great idea. Wizards of the Coast has talked a lot about how many new folk these tie-ins bring to the game, with the recent Final Fantasy set blowing away even the loftiest of expectations. So, if you’re an Avatar fan who is curious about what this crossover entails but is intimidated by the three-decade old reputation Magic carries around with it, it’s hard to think of a better place to start than this.

Tom Marks is IGN’s Executive Reviews Editor. He loves card games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and lots more.

Battlefield 6 Dev Confirms Playlist Changes, Custom Search, and Start Time for Open Beta Weekend 2

Following the hugely popular Battlefield 6 Open Beta Weekend 1, developer DICE has outlined the changes and additions fans can expect for the upcoming Weekend 2, and confirmed its start time.

Weekend 2 kicks off today, August 14, at 8am UTC (1am PT), and runs until Sunday, August 17.

In a blog post, DICE outlined the playlist adjustments it has made for Weekend 2 and set out its reasoning. The thing to know here is the All-Out Warfare playlist will include Breakthrough, Conquest, and Rush.

“During Week 2, we’re delivering more variety and choice for how you’d like to play with more playlists rotating between multiple different game modes,” DICE said.

“As an example, the All-Out Warfare playlist will include both Breakthrough, Conquest, and Rush. The in-game descriptions for each mode will tell you which modes are included in the rotation.

“Rotating through multiple modes within playlists helps us understand what our community enjoys as we shape the launch experience, and enables us to keep more fan-favorite modes available at the same time.”

DICE said rotating through playlists daily is specific for the Open Beta “while we’re still able to test and gather feedback, and is not planned for launch.”

Battlefield 6 Open Beta Weekend 2 Playlists Overview:

Day 1, Thursday 14th

  • Conquest
  • Rush
  • Attack & Defend (Breakthrough, Rush)
  • Close Quarters; Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill)
  • Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)

Day 2, Friday 15th

  • Conquest
  • Squad Deathmatch
  • Close Quarters; Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill, Squad Deathmatch)
  • All-Out Warfare; Epic battles across expansive maps (Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush)
  • Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)

Day 3-4, Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th

  • Conquest
  • Close Quarters; Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill, Squad Deathmatch).
  • All-Out Warfare; Epic battles across expansive maps (Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush)
  • Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)

Meanwhile, DICE has added custom search options for Weekend 2. The developer stressed that this is now a Server Browser, which some fans are hoping to see.

“Based on your previous feedback and to give you more control over map and mode selection, we’re introducing a new feature called Custom Search,” DICE said.

“This feature allows you to choose your favorite combinations of maps and modes. For example, if you want to play Conquest on Siege of Cairo, then matchmaking will prioritize putting you in a match with this combo, if available. Note that this is not a Server Browser (which is not being tested this week).

“During Open Beta, Custom Search will be available for Open Weapon mode playlists so you can mix and match maps and modes as you prefer.”

The Battlefield 6 Open Beta hit over half a million concurrent players on Steam last weekend, so it will be interesting to see whether Weekend 2 can beat that figure. Either way, there’s huge interest in the first-person shooter, which bodes well for its October launch.

If you’re thinking of jumping in on PC for the first time, be aware you need to enable Secure Boot to play.

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.

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for August 2025 Confirmed

Sony has revealed its PlayStation Plus Game Catalog August 2025 additions, pulling back the curtain on Extra and Premium tier highlights like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Mortal Kombat 1, Resident Evil 2, and more.

The full lineup of titles joining PlayStation’s gaming subscription service was revealed in a new PlayStation.Blog post today. It’s a month with titles that range from some of the biggest games on the market to a few hidden indie gems, with PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers also netting access to a five-hour Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Game Trial.

The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog will expand with 11 new titles come August 19. Subscribers at the Extra and Premium tiers will enjoy standouts like NetherRealm Studios’ soft reboot fighting game, Mortal Kombat 1, as well as Insomniac Games’ original superhero video game, Marvel’s Spider-Man. The latter is making its return to the service after departing the library of available PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games in April 2023.

Those unimpressed by the two AAA additions may find something to love in the lineup of other games, which includes Harold Halibut, Indika, Earth Defense Force 6, Unicorn Overlord, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, and Coral Island. There’s also Giant Squid’s Sword of the Sea, which launches day one for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers.

Finally, PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers can look forward to two monumental PlayStation 1 titles: Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Both of Capcom’s classics will be available to play on PS4 and PS5. You can see all of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog August 2025 additions, as well as their support platforms, in the list below.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Game Catalog Additions – August 2025

PlayStation Plus Premium Game Catalog Additions – August 2025

PlayStation Plus subscribers can look forward to diving into all of the new Game Catalog games next week. In the meantime, be sure to check out all of the games added to the service in July 2025. You can also see the August 2025 Essential tier games that joined PlayStation Plus earlier this month.

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).

New Super Mario S.H.Figuarts Action Figures Are Up for Preorder at Amazon

S.H.Figuarts makes some really fantastic action figures. They’re on the pricy side, but they’re generally worth it, thanks to their superior build quality, wealth of accessories, swappable parts, and highly articulated joints so you can pose them however you want.

The newest batch added to the lineup are some great looking Super Mario figures that are available for preorder now (see them at Amazon). We have Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, and a play set, all coming next year. Let’s take a look.

Featured in this article

You’ll find links above to all of the new figures (and the play set). If you want more details about them, read on.

Mario – S.H.Figuarts Action Figure

Here’s Mario in all his bold, colorful glory. In addition to looking absolutely stupendous, this figure comes with a base with a red “M” on it and a clear stand (so you can pose him jumping). It also has interchangeable hands that are either open or in a fist. Accessory-wise, you get a Question Mark Block, plus a gold coin, a Super Mushroom, and other little plastic parts that help you pose Mario however you’d like.

Luigi – S.H.Figuarts Action Figure

The Luigi figure is just as game-accurate as the Mario one. It also comes with an extra set of hands and a stand (this one is green and has an “L” on it, though). And Luigi comes with a brick block and a red shell.

Bowser – S.H.Figuarts Action Figure

The Bowser figure is a bit more expensive than the plumber brothers, but I’m guessing our boy’s thickness is responsible for that. The Koopa King comes with a black base emblazoned with a Bowser logo, plus a clear stand. He comes with replacement hands and a replacement lower jaw to make him breathe a fireball. Very cool.

Yoshi – S.H.Figuarts Action Figure

I’m glad the Yosh was not neglected in this set (though Peach and Toad may have something to say about that). Yoshi comes with a green base with an egg on it, plus a clear stand. There’s also replacement hands and eyes, plus a replacement saddle that will actually hold the Mario or Luigi figure on top of him.

Playset – S.H.Figuarts Super Mario Line

Finally, there’s a play set that has all the pieces necessary to re-create scenes from the games. It has two pipes (a long one and a short one), two green bases, two brick blocks, two Goombas, two coins, a Question Mark Block, and a Green Shell, plus all sorts of clear stands to help create whatever scene you dream up.

Any one of these figures looks great on its own, but the line really comes to life if you get more than one figure and create a scene with them. You can get some ideas for poses in the slideshow above, where you’ll also find all the accessories that come with each figure.

And if you like these, also check out the Cyclops X-Men figure that’s coming in January. It’s based on the Marvel vs. Capcom fighting game.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Set Is Now Up For Preorder

Magic: The Gathering is offering an unprecedented three crossovers in its 2025 release calendar. The Final Fantasy’s set was the biggest launch in the trading card game’s long history, and Spider-Man is up next.

Time waits for no one, though, and spoilers have already begun for Avatar: The Last Airbender’s set, due to launch in November. Better yet, preorders are now live for sealed products, and here’s where you can get them.

Play Boosters and Bundles

Play Boosters return, but things are a little up in the air(bender) at the moment because individual packs aren’t available just yet, at least in the US.

UK players can pre-order Play Boosters on their own, but at the moment, US customers can only preorder a box of 30 packs for $189.99 at Best Buy.

As is the case with Spider-Man (and most Magic sets), there’s a new Bundle coming, too. This $69.99 set includes nine Play Boosters, 15 foil and 15 non-foil lands, 1 spindown life counter, and a Foil promo card.

Collector Boosters

We know Collector Boosters will return, but we’re waiting for confirmed pricing. They’ll be available in boxes of 12 packs.

Expect them to be the best place to get rare, chase cards, but to cost considerably more than Play Boosters. They are also highly likely to sell out fast, so snag these up ASAP to avoid disappointment.

Beginner Box

For the first time since Foundations, a Beginner Box will offer an entry-level product for Avatar fans who want to check out Magic: The Gathering.

We’re waiting for US pricing, but we know it will offer Jumpstart decks that can be mixed and matched to allow players to learn to play as Aang or Zuko.

Scene Box

Following on from the Spider-Man Scene Box, Avatar: The Last Airbender’s version will come in two options: The Black Sun Invasion, and Tea Time At The Jasmine Dragon.

Each includes a series of cards to be displayed together to make a scene, but also a trio of Play Boosters to help kickstart your collection. Best Buy has them for $41.99 each.

Where Are The Commander Decks?

Commander’s Bundle Explained

As with Marvel’s Spider-Man, there are no Avatar Commander Decks, but a new product type, the Commander’s Bundle, aims to fill the gap somewhat.

This bundle contains 9 Play Boosters and one Collector Booster, and also includes classic Commander staples like Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Swiftfoot Boots, and more.

It costs $109.99 to preorder from Best Buy.

Jumpstart Boosters

While not yet available for preorder (in the US at least), Jumpstart Boosters return for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The idea is simple: Players take two packs of cards, put them together, and make an instantly-playable deck. It’ll be available in Booster Boxes or as individual packs.

UK Preorders

Curiously, Amazon UK has more products available than any other retailer at the time of writing.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

Resident Evil Survival Unit Confirms Some Familiar Boss Characters

Capcom has dropped a new cinematic trailer for its upcoming mobile strategy game, Resident Evil Survival Unit, which appears to confirm an array of familiar enemies you’ll have to fight.

Though a polished, flamboyant, and unashamedly bombastic showing of everything the Resident Evil series has come to represent to millions of fans all over the world, the cinematic trailer is precisely that — cinematic. Which means it doesn’t give us a better understanding of systems underpinning the actual gameplay, unfortunately.

Nonetheless, Capcom’s ready for you to register your interest, so if you like what you see — and hear; there’s a very jazzy theme tune from Queen Bee — head on over to the App Store.

The upcoming strategy game spin-off for smartphones was given a proper reveal last month, confirming it’s set in a parallel universe where you form a squad of characters from the series’ biggest stars to take on zombies and monsters. Today, that roster now looks to include Mr X, Nemesis and… crocodiles.

Co-developed by Aniplex and Joycity, gameplay sees you building up a familiar-looking mansion as your base, where your characters will live and interact. You’ll then head out onto survival missions against familiar Resident Evil foes, with Aniplex promising a “global multiplayer experience.”

As for the other big Resident Evil-flavored taster we got earlier in the year? Resident Evil Requiem is coming on February 27, 2026. The next mainline entry in the Resident Evil series, it is directed by Resident Evil 7 director Koshi Nakanishi and will feature a return to the series’ 30-year-old “overarching narrative.”

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.