If you’re a Pokémon Trainer or have one in your life, today’s Daily Deals is going to save you a small fortune. From the best Pokémon TCG bargains to a great deal on the Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, I’ve got you. You can also check out my more comprehensive list of the best Pokémon gifts for 2025 for more options than what I’ve listed here.
TL;DR: Top Pokémon Deals for Today
I’ve even taken the liberty of finding the best deals on the top chase cards for every Pokémon TCG expansion in the Mega Evolution and Scarlet & Violet eras, so you can pick up some awesome chase cards instead of busting a bag full of Pokédollars on booster packs. I even found some awesome Pokémon Squishmallow deals to boot, so let’s get straight into it:
Pokémon TCG Single Card Price Crash
Pokémon TCG stock levels are getting better and better across the board, which means there’s more chance of buying off store shelves and a much bigger chance of scalpers losing out. It’s a win-win, especially for Pokémon card collectors, as single cards are finding a new floor when it comes to market values.
It’s the best time this year to snap up some of those grails you’ve been eyeing up, so I’ve found the top 5 chase cards in every Pokémon TCG expansion and base set from the previous Scarlet and Violet era, as well as Mega Evolution, the current era of Pokémon cards. There’s some serious bargains to be had here, and I reckon we’ll see prices tick back up when Ascended Heroes launches early next year, so don’t wait around.
Best Pokémon TCG Sealed Deals
The best deal here for me is the Mega Charizard X ex Ultra Premium Collection that’s currently at market value on Amazon and close to MSRP.
4 x Phantasmal Flames
4 x Mega Evolution
4 x Destined Rivals
4 x Journey Together
2 x Surging Sparks
The main pull of this UPC is the Mega Charizard X ex Mega Attack Rare and Oricorio ex SIR promo cards, which, frankly, are the best couple of promo cards we’ve had in a big box collection for a while. It also contains Mega Charizard X-themed card sleeves, deck box, damage counter dice, playmat, and a metal coin.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A and More Deals
Need to get Pokémon Legends: Z-A sorted for Christmas? Here’s the cheapest way: the Nintendo Switch 1 version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A for $44.99 on Woot, then upgrade it to the Switch 2 version for $9.99 via the Amazon digital code service. You’re saving $15 over buying the usual Switch 2 copy of Legends: Z-A.
Woot also has more discounts on top Pokémon Switch games, such as Legends: Arceus alongside Scarlet and Violet. It’s a great time to build up your library if you’ve got a few Pokémon-sized gaps on your shelf.
Pokémon Squishmallow Deals
Nothing beats cuddling a Squishmallow, and I’ll admit that to anyone. Well, getting a $69.99 massive 20-inch Sprigatito Squishmallow for $37.99 definitely beats that feeling, but there’s some great deals on the best Pokémon plushies right now (in my opinion, which is correct).
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.
Video games and cooking go together more than you might think. Tons of RPGs and simulation games have some form of cooking mechanic or, at the very least, delicious-looking food. From the cozy familiarity of meals from Stardew Valley to fantastical feasts in The Witcher, I can personally say I’ve encountered tons of animated food I wish was real. Well, turns out it can be.
Gaming cookbooks offer an opportunity to learn unique recipes while immersing yourself in the lore of a world you love. Getting the materials you need might not be as fun as in-game adventuring or farming, but the end result is more than worth it. Whether you’re passionate about a specific game, are looking for gift ideas for the gamer in your life, or just love some themed recipes, here’s our list of the best gaming cookbooks in 2025.
Our Favorite Gaming Cookbooks in 2025
One of our top picks for gaming cookbooks is The Official Stardew Valley cookbook, which features 50 recipes written in the voice of various characters as well as some adorable art. The recipes are naturally based on the meals you can make in-game, including Pink Cake, Strange Buns, and even a full Autumn’s Bounty to help you power through the mines.
A great gift to inspire young chefs (especially those who particularly enjoyed A Minecraft Movie), the Minecraft cookbook includes 40+ recipes inspired by the game’s various mobs and biomes. The same goes for The Pokémon Cookbook, which focuses more on cute snacks and quick meals.
Outside of crafting-based games, themed cookbooks are also a great way to immerse yourself in fantasy worlds. The official Witcher cookbook takes inspiration from the games as well as The Witcher books, with 80 recipes covering everything from a refreshing drink to an exquisite banquet. The Elder Scrolls cookbook hones in on the world of Skyrim (as opposed to the rest of the Elder Scrolls games) while the Fallout cookbook is great for anyone who’s particularly curious about the taste of Nuka-Cola ahead of Fallout season 2 episodes.
On the tabletop side of gaming, the Heroes’ Feast Dungeons & Dragons cookbook is the crème de la crème for anyone trying to impress their party. Across the board, these cookbooks feature great recipes as well as interesting new bits of lore and art for dedicated fans.
New Video Game Cookbooks for 2025
The trend of gaming cookbooks isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Some of the newest gaming cookbooks of include one inspired by Pac-Man, which, to be completely honest, is a mystery to me, as well as Borderlands, presumably part of the promotions for Borderlands 4. As someone who’s long been curious about Sojiro’s curry from Persona 5, I’m particularly excited about the cookbook inspired by the Persona games.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
Destiny has always been the “we’ve got Star Wars at home” looter shooter, and with Destiny 2: Renegades, Bungie has decided to lean into that directly with a crossover expansion. Weirdly enough, that decision has worked out for the most part! Renegades doesn’t solve many of Destiny 2’s longstanding issues, including the fact that it’s been awkwardly spinning its wheels for over a year now (reminiscent of the MCU post-Endgame), but embracing the cheesiness and over-the-top drama of Star Wars is at the very least a surprisingly nice change of pace for what has otherwise become quite a predictable universe. Sure, the story is as corny and derivative as can be, and the new activity you’re encouraged to grind repeatedly starts to feel thin before that tale even concludes, but the few new mechanics, vehicles, and weapon types we do get are interesting enough, and the endgame activity is well-worth setting aside a few hours to run through. If you were waiting for a game-changing expansion to warrant diving back into Destiny 2, this isn’t it, but it’s not the worst way to pass your time if you’ve got a hankering for some looter shooter goodness or just love Star Wars.
If you’ve read any of my previous expansion reviews (ofwhichtherearealot), then you’ll already know I am a weirdo Destiny fan who has stuck with this game through thick and thin – so it should mean something when I tell you that saying I am also a Star Wars fan would be such a massive understatement that I’m actually too embarrassed to elaborate further publicly. But even with my undying love of space wizards, I was initially mortified to learn Destiny 2 was planning a crossover with it. For me, it was the ultimate sign that Destiny was out of ideas, had gone “full Fortnite” in a way that seemed cheap and tacky, and was making one last desperation play during the slow death it’s been suffering for a number of years now. And, yeah, that all pretty much turned out to be true. But when I found myself watching two lightsaber-wielding foes square off in an epic cutscene while listening to the John Williams-esque music this expansion makes heavy use of, I’ll admit it won me over… at least a little.
Renegades does go out of its way to include every little Star Wars reference to a degree that can feel a bit forced – a crutch that’s continuously leaned upon in lieu of original ideas. For example, in the very first mission alone, you’ll find yourself trapped in a garbage compactor, rescuing someone from off-brand carbon freezing, and making a jump to lightspeed while a brooding, laser sword-wielding masked villain angrily watches you escape his grasp. It’s extremely on the nose stuff, and I was just as likely to experience a full-body cringe as I was to smile about it. But the complete “screw it” energy at play here as it full-throatedly embraces all the corniness and drama for which Star Wars is known does have a certain kind of refreshing charm that’s at least a distinct direction for Destiny 2. I’ve been complaining about this game feeling stale for at least five years now, so I’ve got to give Bungie a bit of credit for trying something new here.
Sadly, the neat Star Wars-inspired story is weighed down by quite a bit of added fat that presumably is there in hopes you won’t notice how short Renegades would be without it. In between the precious few story missions, you’ll be sent off to run the new Lawless Frontier activity (more on that later), which drip feeds little bits of info before the next real mission actually moves the plot forward. Many of the non-filler quests use the same maps as the Lawless Frontier as well, but they’re at least filled with more unique stuff to do, like one quest where you blow up what looks an awful lot like Jabba’s sail barge in front of what looks an awful lot like the sarlacc pit (also known as the Great Pit of Carkoon). To its credit, it does introduce some interesting characters like Aunor, who is basically just a Jedi Knight, and Dredgen Bael, our emotional red leather daddy Sith Lord, who spends all his time aura farming and making my wife squeal with alarming delight. The whole thing wraps up with a pretty satisfying ending, too, despite doing very little to move the actual overarching story in Destiny 2 forward at all.
The Lawless Frontier activity that Renegades repeatedly pushes you towards works like an extremely barebones extraction shooter. You and two others are dropped into one of three maps and directed towards a series of the typical combat-heavy chores for which Destiny is known, like carrying objects to a drop point while under fire or defending a zone while standing on a plate. Along the way, you collect loot boxes you then need to try and extract with before time runs out or you run out of the finite number of revives your team is given. And, of course, no extraction mode is complete without rival players being able to come in and ruin your day, which is accomplished via a solo invasion mode where you jump into someone else’s game and try to score a few kills to grab some quick loot.
The story is weighed down by added fat that Renegades would be quite short without.
The three map options are great, as each reworks an existing location within the Destiny universe to fit with the Star Wars theme. The icy Europa now looks a whole lot more like Hoth, with anti-aerial canons and frozen bunkers; Mars has been turned into the dune seas and canyons of Tatooine, but is sadly missing Banthas; And Venus has been transformed into a part-swampland, part-forest that plays off of Dagobah and Kashyyyk, respectively. For Star Wars fans of all stripes, seeing stuff like this is just rad, though it would have been nice if they’d put as much work into the baddies we’re fighting – aside from the Cabal wearing white Stormtrooper-adjacent armor, we’re basically just fighting the same handful of enemies we’ve been blasting for years.
As a non-invading player, Lawless Frontier is initially a strong game mode that gets less exciting each time you’re asked to do it (which is a whole lot). At first, the idea of killing loads of baddies in levels that are extremely enemy-dense and getting a whole lot of loot is pretty great, but once you’ve played each of the three maps and extraction scenarios a couple times, you’ll pretty quickly have these regions and all their secrets down to a science, leaving you to rinse and repeat the same handful of encounters ad nauseum – in other words, pretty typical Destiny stuff. It gets even worse when you realize that means you’re going to have to hear the same handful of conversations and one-liners so frequently that you’ll find yourself hearing them in your sleep. The good news is that the grind actually comes with some pretty stellar rewards this time, as I was able to get a whole bunch of cool stuff, like my first complete set of Tier 5 armor, after only a handful of hours grinding. If there were a bit more variety to the maps and encounters within Lawless Frontier, the grind to greater power and weapon rolls would have been a lot more enjoyable.
Helping break up the monotony though are Renegade Abilities, a new mechanic that lets you call in helpful support ordinances to assist you in battle. These could be things like a dome of healing light for you and your teammates or an airstrike that bombards the battlefield with explosions. As you level up your reputation by playing the Lawless Frontier, you’ll unlock new abilities along the way, including one that lets you summon a massive AT-ST-inspired mech called the Behemoth – a tool that can completely change the tide of battle during a high-level encounter. All of these are really nice, although they only work while in the Lawless Frontier extraction mode, and I’ll admit it made me pretty bummed out every time I was off doing something else like the story missions or the Dungeon activity and no longer had access to them. It’s probably too much to ask that something this powerful be available all the time, but it’s convinced me that we could use something similar to this across Destiny 2 more generally. After all, it’s sorta hard to go back to not having these cool toys after you’ve spent a dozen hours relying on them and leveling them up.
As for invading, as much as I had fun showing up and ruining other players’ games, the entire feature feels pretty out of place, as though it was only included because PvP is an obligatory element of an extraction shooter. When invading, it’s usually easy enough to score a few kills and make off with some quick loot, which is a really efficient way to gather gear, but it just feels wrong interrupting other players who are distracted with the mission before them and surrounded by NPC enemies.
And as the person being invaded, there’s not really any incentive to sweat it anyway – although you have a limited number of revives, you’re also given extra revives when you get invaded to offset any potential loss, which makes the stakes basically nonexistent. Sure, you can get a couple extra loot boxes by killing your invader, but it’s a pittance given how much loot this activity generates regardless. And since each match can only be invaded once, it’s extremely common for an unwelcome guest to appear early on, getting the PvP distraction out of the way right off the bat before proceeding with the actual extraction regardless of the outcome.
I had fun invading other players in Lawless Frontier, but the entire feature feels out of place.
If invaders were incentivized to kill players until their run fails, or the people being invaded were given something more substantial for successfully fending off their attacker, I could see this mechanic being extremely cool, but it mostly just feels tacked on right now. Don’t get me wrong – I still spent enough time invading others to earn my red lightsaber crystal, because I’m a terrible person, but the whole system could have been executed better.
Speaking of which: lightsabers! Yeah, those are in Destiny 2 now (though they’re called Praxic Blades), and they’re basically as cool as you’d think. You can throw them like Vader trying to decapitate his own son, use them to deflect incoming fire back at your enemies like you’re picking off clankers in the Clone Wars, or just get in close for good ol’ fashioned Kylo-Ren-sticking-it-to-dear-old-dad action. The quest to unlock your very own saber is also one of the best in the expansion, and a lot of the endgame in Renegades revolves around unlocking various saber colors or mods to make your laser sword even cooler. Are they hugely different from the swords that already existed in Destiny 2? No, not really. But they’re enough of a tweak to be interesting while also just being way cool. Hard for me to get mad about that!
Luckily the Praxic Blade isn’t the only fresh tool in your arsenal, as Renegades also introduces a new weapon type called Heat Weapons. The idea behind these is that they’re Star Wars blasters that don’t need to be reloaded, but generate heat that occasionally requires a cooldown. I hate reloading in games, so this is a nice option for the impatient among us, even if waiting for heat to dissipate is effectively the same thing. Either way, they’re an interesting new wrinkle to Destiny 2’s growing arsenal of weapons, plus they make cool Star Wars pew-pew blaster sounds when you shoot them, which I think is the real headline here.
Once you’ve completed the brief story and run enough Lawless Frontier to be sick of it, the final hurdle is the raid-lite activity called Equillibrium. It’s the endgame finale filled with challenging mechanics and beautiful setpieces you’d expect, and awards some absolutely awesome loot that I won’t spoil here. These so-called Dungeons are some of Destiny 2’s best content, and Equilibrium is certainly no exception, with the Star Wars flair adding a much-needed change in style and tone. The bosses, which include a dual-saber wielding ninja badass, are memorable and fun to figure out, and the enemy-dense areas and platforming sections were a joy to explore. It’s worth noting that the entire thing is pretty short, and can be comfortably beaten in under two hours without much issue (it felt a lot easier than some of the previous dungeon activities), but I don’t have many complaints overall – it was time well-spent and I’m likely to play it again with friends in pursuit of the unique loot.
In the wake of an incredible run at The Game Awards last week, during which Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won a record-breaking nine awards and announced a free DLC out right now, a whole lot of people are purchasing and/or downloading the game to see what all the fuss is about.
This observation comes from multiple data sources, all of which are pointing to a sudden rush of players to Clair Obscur across platforms. On Steam, the game reached a peak over the weekend of 56,993 players, according to SteamDB. The numbers haven’t been that high since June.
The game’s popularity is reflecting in sales, as well. According to Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, sales of Clair Obscur have spiked since The Game Awards. They’re up 76% on Steam, 21% on PS5, and 3% on Xbox (where it’s available on Game Pass). Alinea’s estimate is that this amounts to over 200,000 more copies sold in just a few days.
But returning players are also coming back. Mat Piscatella, senior director at Circana, said that “the percent of US active PS, XBX and US Steam players engaging with the game more than tripled by Dec 13th when compared to Dec 10th. US Steam showed the largest lift,” in a Bluesky post. Piscatella affirmed that this was the highest total of players engaged on Steam since June 1, with Xbox in the US seeing its highest total since June 27, and PlayStation in the US since June 10th.
It’s an incredible spike no matter how you look at it, reflecting both those playing for the first time as well as returning players giving the free DLC a shot. It’s likely that its run of awards had something to do with this, especially since one of those awards was Game of the Year. It’s gained so much attention that even French president Emmanuel Macron spoke up to congratulate developer Sandfall Interactive.
We at IGN also loved Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, giving it a 9/10 and writing: “Wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 paints itself into the pantheon of great RPGs with a brilliant combat system and a gripping, harrowing story.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Ubisoft will launch its final Assassin’s Creed Shadows update of the year this week, ahead of the game’s arrival on Nintendo Switch 2.
Included in Title Update 1.1.7 are a set of brutal-looking new finishers to spice up Naoe and Yasuke’s combat (there’s some brutal-looking new moves in there).
For fans following Shadows’ typically-bizarre Animus content, this week brings a new Rift to explore as the mysterious Guide seeks players’ help once again. And there’s another new battle pass-like Project to work through, unlocking a fresh bo staff, as well as an outfit for Naoe (sadly, no more cats or Ezio costumes this time).
One useful tweak is the ability to access your Vault content — those text logs with modern day story — without fully quitting the game and heading to the Animus desktop, which was a faff. You’ll also be able to exchange Animus keys for more Gold, Mastery and Knowledge Points, should be be needing any more of those.
The above improvements come in addition to a long list of bug fixes and other changes, including some launch day updates for Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Nintendo Switch 2 edition (that arrives this Wednesday, December 17).
Fixed an issue where players were asked to connect to a controller whenever the Switch 2 was docked or undocked, even if controllers were already connected.
Resolved an issue where the players would remain in an infinite black screen after creating a Ubisoft Connect account or log in with an already existing account upon selecting an audio pack from the initial boot menu.
Gameplay
Removed an exploit that would permit double engravings on the Sword of Fathoms.
Fixed an issue preventing Naginatas from being sold. Fine, I shall sell my best wares somewhere else!
Resolved an issue where perks that checked Mastery points spent would not update if Mastery points changed after equipping the item.
Fixed an issue where upgrading skills to Rank 3 would sometimes cause damage upgrades from Rank 2 to be missing.
The Bo Staff will now increase its affliction buildup stat when upgrading it Mythic and Artifact quality.
Perks with affliction effects now have dynamic wording that specify which affliction they apply, based on the item they are engraved on.
Fixed an issue where Knowledge Scrolls were removed from the players inventory. Junjiro did you take my scrolls again??
Shared skills between Naoe and Yasuke will now correctly be learned by both.
Edited wording for the “Affliction After Deflect” perk to clarify it applies 35% buildup instead of a full Affliction.
Ensured that “Restore 6% Health With Posture Attack” is present for all Critical Damage and Health Gain engravings for all weapons when equipped.
Claws of Awaji
Fixed an issue where players with two copies of the game, one with the Claws of Awaji Expansion and one without, would permanently lose the ability to fast travel to the island of Awaji when switching between the two editions of the game.
World
Players can now whistle while using the Follow Road mechanic. Enjoy the open road, whistle a tune and relax!
Corrupted Castles will no longer reset when loading into a previous save after a season has already changed.
Fixed an issue where enemies and loot would respawn upon loading a save before changing seasons.
Visuals & Graphics
Adjusted some facial animation for Naoe or Yasuke that looked unnatural during all cinematics when a hood was equipped. Psst! Naoe, stop making silly faces, please!
UI
Corrected inconsistencies between the smuggled rewards shown in the UI at the end of a season and what was truly received. All the goods are there, boss!
Fixed inconsistencies with the smuggled rewards UI when the Stables are upgraded. Remember to give your trusty steed an apple as a treat.
Corrected location name for “Kawarajiri Lumber Camp” in Japanese.
Online Store
Fixed an issue with receiving Store, Deluxe and Premium items into the player’s inventory.
PC SPECIFIC
Fixed inputs issues when rebinding on Mouse and Keyboard.
Improved FPS stability issues on PC.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Quests
“Swords And Sake”: Fixed an issue where the mission couldn’t be completed due to Gennojo dying.
“Eliminate Outlaws”: Corrected issues preventing the completion of the mission.
“Temple Stories”: Ensured that Joken Hokkyo will not disappear so that the quest objective can be completed. Wait! Don’t go! I need to complete this mission!
“Dismantling One by One”: Wandering enemies will now be indicated with a marker.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Just weeks after making its PlayStation 5 debut, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is getting a big free content update adding new quests, characters and a fresh hub, as well as an additional weapon.
In a post on the PlayStation blog, Stalker 2’s Ukranian developer GSC Game World announced the new update and noted that it would be “completely free to all owners of the game” — so anyone who may have played previously on PC and Xbox Series X/S should expect to receive the additional content also.
Xbox owners who played the shooter via Xbox Game Pass when it originally launched in November 2024 may need to check if they still have access, however, as Stalker 2 departed from the subscription’s catalog last month, causing something of a stir.
“Strange things start happening near the Malachite on the western part of the map,” GSC says of its new questline. “The research groups sent by scientists were reporting a signal interfering with their usual PDA communications. After listening to it, stalkers were suffering from headaches, nose bleeds, and hallucinations.”
It all sounds like something interesting, if potentially deadly, that’s well worth investigating. Eight missions are included, with seven locations to explore, six more characters to meet, plus a new rifle to master: the GP37V2. You’ll also get the chance to establish a new hub in the Burnt Forest region.
GSC had previously promised new quests were on the way as part of its 2025 development roadmap, which included fresh gameplay featurs and story missions, as well as continued technical upgrades — such as a move to the latest version of Unreal Engline. Memorably, Stalker 2 launched in a bit of a state, though GSC has pledged to continue working to turn things around.
Following a brand new trailer at The Game Awards, Housemarque’s upcoming release Saros is now available for PS5 fans to preorder. Its physical copy is currently listed for $69.99 at various retailers (see here at Amazon) and, as its new trailer also revealed, it’s set to be released next year on April 30.
Below, we’ve broken down where you can preorder Saros right now, alongside information on its digital deluxe edition and what preorder bonus you’ll get to enjoy by grabbing a copy early.
For those who preorder Saros, you’ll get the Hands of Shore Armor as a preorder bonus, which can be seen above.
Saros – Digital Deluxe Edition
There’s also a Digital Deluxe Edition of Saros, which is listed for $79.99. This comes with a few extras alongside the Hands of Shore Armor preorder bonus and full game, including the Astra Armor, Onryo Armor, and Midgard Armor. Players who purchase this version will also get 48 hour early access.
Saros is the latest game from Housemarque, and is the studio’s follow-up to Returnal. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog from Gregory Louden, Creative Director at Housemarque, Saros is “the haunting story of a lost off-world colony on Carcosa under an ominous eclipse. You play as Arjun Devraj [played by Rahul Kohli], a powerful Soltari Enforcer who will stop at nothing to find who he is looking for.”
Louden also notes the return of “bullet ballet” style shooting, alongside “a new ability, Parry, where with perfect timing of R1 you can reflect certain projectiles back at enemies, destroying or staggering them.”
Back when it was first announced, Louden detailed in another PlayStation Blog post that, “A key gameplay distinction between Saros and Returnal is permanent resources and progression making every death valuable.” Because of this, you’ll be able to come back stronger with each run to overcome obstacles you face.
Other Preorder Guides
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has fully detailed the game’s Cold Snap update and its new cold-weather survival mechanics.
The update, out December 16, adds the new Cold Snap map condition, which is a winter variant across Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and The Blue Gate maps. Cold Snap adds cold-weather survival mechanics fueled by snowstorms across Speranza. Snowfall reduces visibility, lakes freeze over, and the open surface becomes even more dangerous. Exposure to extreme cold causes frostbite, thus encouraging new strategies around healing items, loadouts, and indoor shelter.
Arc Raiders Cold Snap gameplay changes, from Embark Studios:
Environmental Hazard: Cold, harsh weather introduces new risks for raiders who remain outdoors too long. Players must watch out for frostbite, a creeping condition that slowly drains their health bar.
Shelter Mechanics: To prevent frostbite, raiders will need to adapt their tactics as the cold gradually seeps into their bones. Raiders must rethink their loadouts, ensuring they can heal themselves or their teammates and plan their extractions with care, finding shelter if needed.
Visual Overhaul: Frost buildup, frozen lakes, snow accumulation and more across Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport and The Blue Gate maps.
Elsewhere, unique loot and rewards are available through the Flickering Flames event and Candleberry Banquet project.
Flickering Flames Event: An act of endurance and patience that tests Raiders’ survival skills during the Cold Snap. Raiders can unlock rewards across 25 levels, including new gear, customizations elements and Raider Tokens by earning Merits, which are automatically gained from XP in rounds. To activate the event, Raiders must have played five rounds of the game.
Candleberry Banquet Project: A new project that brings Raiders together to feel the fragile warmth that shines through the frigid cold. Raiders can earn rewards by scavenging unique items topside and collecting Candleberries. It features five stages, each revealing a new scene on the banquet table. Completing stages grants rewards such as cosmetic items, Raider Tokens and Merits, with Merits contributing progress in the Flickering Flames event.
Starting December 26, the Goalie Raider deck will be included in the base game. The new deck includes new items and feats for players to complete, offering rewards such as Raider tokens, cosmetic items and more. These include a hockey-inspired Raider outfit in several color variants, along with a hockey stick Raider tool.
And finally, the Expedition Project Raider Reset lets players restart their journey with certain buffs, advantages, and rewards. The Expedition Project will provide Raiders with an opportunity to undergo a reset, bringing a new raider and a new story for the player. This optional reset is unlocked by collecting key materials to build a Caravan for the existing Raider then signing up for the departure during the Expedition window. By departing, players will reset their character progress for a new Arc Raiders journey with exclusive buffs, advantages and rewards that carry over.
In a blog post, Embark explained why it’s doing the seasonal reset. “Progression wipes are a notoriously difficult thing to balance in online multiplayer games — we get that,” the developer said. “Mandatory global wipes have some obvious benefits: heavily invested players get to re-experience the initial grind once again and, for a time, the playing field is levelled. The optional Expedition Project is our solution to some of the problems that inevitably arise with mandatory wipes — specifically, by respecting your time investment in the game. We want to offer you the choice:
“Not completed as much as you’d like? Keep on raiding, building, and growing. Ready for a new challenge and to grind once again? Depart on the Expedition, and receive buffs, rewards, and bragging rights.”
Arc Raiders Cold Snap update release times:
Embark Studios launches Cold Snap on Tuesday, December 16, at 10.30am CET / 9.30am UK time / 1.30am PT / 4.30am ET.
Cold Snap includes limited-time events and elements running from Tuesday, December 16 until Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 10.30am CET / 9.30am UK time / 1.30am PT / 4.30am ET.
IGN’s Arc Raiders review, returned a 9/10. We said: “With polished gunplay and an irresistible grind, Arc Raiders sets a new standard for extraction shooters.”
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.
Last week at The Game Awards, we learned that the next-gen Tomb Raider that developer Crystal Dynamics announced three years ago is titled Tomb Raider: Catalyst. Published by Amazon Game Studios, it’s set to release in 2027 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S.
Meanwhile, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a reimagining of the original Tomb Raider game, built with Unreal Engine 5 and due out next year. Both games will feature a new actor as Lara Croft: Alix Wilton Regan.
While the news was a surprise for some, actor Camilla Luddington — who portrayed Lara Croft in the 2013-2018 reboot trilogy — shared a bittersweet Instagram post about her time as the lead, saying she loved the fans and Croft will “forever be a part of [her].”
“I thought I’d make a post since I’ve been hearing from so many of you,” she wrote. “I want to let you know that I have loved this fandom. To join the list of Lara Crofts before me was an incredible honor and she will forever be a part of me. The Survivor Trilogy was a decade of adventure I will never ever forget. I could not be prouder of what we created.
“And as always, a new actress receives this incredible gift to step into the boots. So with that said — [new Croft actor Alix Wilton Regan] if you’re ever in need of a [bow and arrow], I know the exact spot to look for one at Croft Manor.”
Alix Wilton Regan has played a number of big video game characters over the years, including the Female Inquisitor in both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Samantha Traynor in Mass Effect 3, Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077, and Aya in Assassin’s Creed Origins. Regan was set to play Joanna Dark in Microsoft’s Perfect Dark reboot, but it was canceled as part of a major round of layoffs.
As spotted by Eurogamer, Regan also shared a post following The Game Awards announcement, claiming it was the “absolute highlight” of her career to date to have been cast, “surpass[ing] even my wildest dreams, quite frankly.”
“We’re. Just. Getting. Started,” she wrote.
Here’s the official blurb on Tomb Raider: Catalyst:
Tomb Raider: Catalyst, which has been in development by Crystal Dynamics since the partnership with Amazon Game Studios was announced in 2022, marks a bold direction for the series as Lara Croft embarks on a new adventure across Northern India. Tomb Raider: Catalyst is set in the wake of a mythical cataclysm that has unleashed ancient secrets and awakened the mysterious forces that guard them. When the most notorious treasure hunters from around the world descend on the region, Lara races to uncover the truth buried beneath the fractured landscape and stop those who would use its power for their own gain. As the ancient world collides with the present, Lara must decide who to trust among rivals and allies to prevent a catastrophe and protect a secret that could reshape the future. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, Tomb Raider: Catalyst delivers the largest Tomb Raider world yet where Lara will traverse a landscape full of secrets, delve into lost tombs packed with intricate puzzles, and solve ancient mysteries using her unmatched brilliance and richly customized adventure tech. Perfect for longtime fans and newcomers alike, players will experience an exhilarating story of trust and betrayal that tests Lara Croft in new ways. Tomb Raider: Catalyst is set to launch in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.
Catalyst wasn’t the only Tomb Raider-related announcement at this year’s Game Awards. Catalyst’s first trailer was immediately followed by a surprise announcement of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a “reimagining” of the original 1996 classic. It is due out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S sometime in 2026, as that’s when the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Here’s the official blurb on Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis:
In a surprise announcement, Amazon Game Studios, Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog unveiled Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a modern reimagining of Lara Croft’s genre-defining 1996 debut. Developed in partnership between Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog, the game features stunning visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, modern game design, and new surprises that honor the spirit and atmosphere of the original game. As Lara Croft, players will harness their wits and athleticism to explore exotic locations lost to time, traverse treacherous landscapes, solve deadly contraptions, and face lethal predators in their quest for the scattered pieces of the Scion — an artifact of immeasurable power.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis sets a new standard for re-envisioning a classic by masterfully balancing innovation with gaming heritage, capturing the wonder and excitement that defined a genre while igniting a new sense of discovery through expanded storytelling. The game arrives in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.
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.
Larian publishing director Michael Douse has explained the studio’s thinking in the wake of the gruesome reveal trailer for Divinity, the Baldur’s Gate 3 studio’s next big role-playing game.
Divinity was announced at The Game Awards with a CG trailer that features extreme gore and sex. It begins with medieval fantasy villagers preparing for a ritual sacrifice, which involves burning a man alive. The villagers celebrate the occasion by playing music and dancing, laughing and chatting, feasting and drinking. At one point, someone throws up into animal feed. A mother and child look on with anticipation.
The burning of the man begins, and here things get very gory indeed. As his flesh tears and he screams in pain, some of the villagers are seen having sex. Others whip themselves. There’s more vomiting. Everyone seems thrilled, but as the burning man dies, something goes horribly wrong.
Disgusting wounds appear on the man. As his arm rips off we get a quick cut to an extreme closeup of someone eating meat. More sex. More vomiting. More pigs eating the vomit. And then the burning man explodes in a shower of gore. Something terrible is pouring out of his body. This, clearly, is not what was supposed to happen, and the villagers flee in terror. In the aftermath we see the statue Geoff Keighley has teased ahead of The Game Awards itself. It has not gone well for the villagers, but the pigs look like they’re still having a good time mopping up.
It’s fair to say the trailer has sparked a great deal of debate. While some have praised the studio for not holding back when it comes to its dark themes (something Baldur’s Gate 3 won plaudits for), others have said the trailer goes too far. Indeed some have accused Larian of “pushing the morale line” with the trailer, labeling it “gore porn.”
Now, Douse has explained what Larian was going for here. In a tweet response to illustrator and YouTuber Kala Elizabeth, who had praised the studio for refusing to “hold back or sanitize stories to make them more palatable,” Douse said the Divinity trailer wasn’t about shocking the audience, rather “treating the audience with a level of intellectual respect.”
“The phrase ‘treating the audience with a level of intellectual respect’ came up a lot in planning,” he said. “It isn’t about trying to shock them, it’s about trying to match their powers of comprehension so that it resonates. We know people are capable of appreciating a three dimensional world.”
This appears to have gone down well with Larian’s fans. “I love this,” Elizabeth replied. “As someone who plays durge, evil and renegade options I’m sad that more games don’t seem to push that nuance and trust the audience anymore. Can’t wait to see what y’all do next.”
There’s still a great deal we don’t know about Divinity, of course, but fans think they’ve worked out who the burning man in the trailer is supposed to be. Larian has said Divinity is its next “major” game after Baldur’s Gate 3, and it is set in the world of Rivellon. Here’s the tagline: “the gods are silent. Rivellon bleeds. New powers stir.”
“Built by the team who brought you Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios unchains its ambitions to bring you an RPG with greater breadth and depth than ever before,” reads the official blurb.
While Divinity is a brand new game that doesn’t require experience with previous Larian titles, those who’ve played Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 will be able to enjoy “greater understanding and continuity,” Larian added.
Swen Vincke, founder and game director of Larian Studios, said: “Despite our long history with the series, this is our first game entitled Divinity. We’re ready to bring everything we’ve done previously into one place. This marks the beginning of something with more breadth, depth, and intimacy than anything we’ve created before. We’ve been building toward this moment ever since we took our fate into our own hands. This is the Divinity we’ve always wanted to make and you’re going to have loads of fun with it.”
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.
