Fans have long-called for a revival of the Dawn of War franchise, and the first game in the series, which is considered one of the best if not the best Warhammer 40,000 games ever made, is a potential first start. The hope is of course that Relic uses this release as a platform for the creation of a brand new Dawn of War game; Dawn of War 4 perhaps.
The Definitive Edition includes all the Dawn of War and standalone expansion content (four classic Dawn of War campaigns, nine armies, and over 200 maps all in one game). There’s 4K support, upscaled textures (4x the originals), and image-based lighting for a higher level of fidelity while retaining the classic experience. World lighting, unit reflections, and shadows have all been improved, and new unit gloss and emissive lighting “will faithfully enhance the moment-to-moment action.”
The camera now lets you pull back further to see more on-screen, and the HUD and screen layout have been optimized for widescreen viewing. Dawn of War has also been upgraded to a 64-bit platform to support the ongoing efforts of the modding community and will be compatible with over 20 years of community mods upon release.
“The Definitive Edition celebrates the original Dawn of War and preserves the legacy of this landmark Warhammer 40,000 title for years to come,” said Justin Dowdeswell, CEO at Relic Entertainment.
“Warhammer 40,000 is more popular than ever, and we want new players to experience where the classic Dawn of War franchise began, while providing a platform for our long-time fans to relive it in its entirety.”
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.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is getting a surprise Master Crafted Edition, launching June 10 on PC and Xbox Series X and S, and straight into Game Pass.
No PlayStation 5 version was mentioned by publisher Sega, which retains the rights to the Relic Entertainment-developed original third-person shooter.
This is described as the “definitive edition” of Captain Titus and the Ultramarines’ fight against the Ork hordes. Space Marine was first published by THQ back in 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The Master Crafted Edition was developed by SneakyBox, and has a 4K resolution, modernized controls, an interface overhaul, improved character models, and remastered audio, which includes over 100 new voice lines for the Orks.
“Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition isn’t just a technical upgrade — it’s a thoughtful restoration,” said producer Vaidas Mikelskas from SneakyBox. “We aimed to preserve the spirit of the original while modernizing the experience for today’s players.
“This is more than just Master Crafted Edition, it’s a respectful dialogue between past and present, preserving what made the original special while making it shine for a new generation of players.”
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition gameplay features:
Storm Into Battle: Experience 40,000 years of combat, evolved. Step fearlessly into the heart of combat as Captain Titus, an unstoppable Space Marine. Titus will not hide and does not cower, as he purges all that stands.
Unleash A Devastating Arsenal: Deal death from a distance with high-caliber ranged weapons and stand toe-to-toe with the enemy with the brutal chainsword, all the while protected by your Ceramite armor.
Define Your Class: In Multiplayer mode unlock and upgrade weapons, armor and abilities to further empower combat options and personalise your Space Marine to match your preferred playstyle. Experiment and explore all of the options provided by the Imperium.
Updated Ork Identity: The Ork horde’s identity is fully aligned with the latest Warhammer 40,000 lore, benefitting from new character models and over 100 new voice lines.
Modernised UI and Control Scheme: Take the fight to Ork horde with reworked and improved UI and control options, updated for a new generation of players.
Take The Fight Online: Form a squad or warband to face off in 8 vs 8 online matches. Earn experience and unlock new weapons and armor to customize the Devastator, Assault, and Tactical Marine classes.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition technical enhancements:
4K Resolution: Available on PC and Xbox X
Greatly Improved Textures: For enhanced environmental depth and fidelity
Graphics Engine Overhaul: Rewritten for the modernisation of 3D models and visual effects
New User Interface: Original Flash-based UI replaced with a more modern, user-friendly for improved player experience
Remastered Audio: Features additional enemy voice-over lines and improved support for modern audio systems
32-bit to 64-bit System Upgrade: Providing improved and more stable gameplay
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine eventually got its sequel, the smash hit that was 2024’s Space Marine 2. That game got an announcement of its own, a new Siege mode coming to test players’ resolve. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition was announced during the Warhammer Skulls 2025 broadcast. In case you missed it, check out all the announcements and trailers from the show.
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.
The Warhammer Skulls 2025 video game showcase has ended, and oh boy was it a big one. Reveal highlights included the revival of Relic’s much-loved Dawn of War real-time strategy series, a surprise Master Crafted Edition of the first Space Marine, a teaser for Space Marine 2’s upcoming horde mode, now called Siege, and the announcement of Boltgun 2.
There was plenty more confirmed during the show. So, in case you missed it, here’s a rundown of everything announced at Warhammer Skulls 2025, with enough trailers to satisfy even the grumpiest of Inquisitors.
Warhammer Skulls revealed the world premiere of the sequel to Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Boltgun 2. The retro first-person shooter is set for launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026.
Meanwhile, free-to-play typing game Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Words of Vengeance is out now on PC via Steam. Here, you plug in your keyboard and “unleash the might of your WPM (word-per-minute)” in a twist on Boltgun.
Owlcat announced its next cRPG, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy alongside an expansion to Rogue Trader and Season Pass 2. Dark Heresy is the studio’s second narrative-driven tactical RPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and lets you assume the role of an Inquisitor. Set against the backdrop of the Noctis Aeterna and the mystery of the Tyrant Star, players lead a warband of diverse companions in a desperate battle against heresy and corruption — from loyal Imperial subjects, such as a veteran Guardsman from the death world of Catachan, to nefarious xenos, including a bird-like Kroot mercenary. It’s due out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.
Rogue Trader’s second major story expansion is called Lex Imperialis, and Season Pass 2 includes two additional “story-rich” DLCs and an appearance customization pack. Lex Imperialis thrusts players into the iron grip of Imperial Law. A new 15-hour storyline introduces the Adeptus Arbites, a faction of incorruptible enforcers, and a new companion — the grim and relentless Solomorne Anthar. It’s due out June 24.
Season Pass 2, meanwhile, bundles two new expansions and an appearance customization pack. The third major addition to the game lets players enter a Necron vault curated by Trazyn the Infinite, challenge ancient guardians, and uncover relics tied to the Von Valancius legacy. The fourth explores the Processional of the Damned — a surreal voidship graveyard. Each of these DLCs will feature a new companion character, new quests deeply integrated into the main storyline, new mechanics, and deliver around 15 hours of gameplay.
One of the big surprises of the show was a Master Crafted Edition of the original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, coming to PC and Xbox Game Pass on June 10. This is described as the “definitive edition” of Captain Titus and the Ultramarines’ fight against the Ork hordes. Space Marine was first published by THQ back in 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The Master Crafted Edition was developed by SneakyBox, and has a 4K resolution, modernized controls, an interface overhaul, improved character models, and remastered audio, which includes over 100 new voice lines for the Orks.
Space Marine 2, meanwhile, teased Siege, the game’s hotly anticipated horde mode. It’s due out June 26. IGN has confirmed, via an exclusive interview with Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at developer Saber Interactive, that the Dreadnought shown in the trailer is a part of Siege gameplay. It is Brother Valtus, the mighty Redemptor Dreadnought from the Ultramarines 2nd Company. Players won’t be able to pilot it, but they’ll be able to call him as reinforcement throughout their Siege games. Check out our Space Marine 2 interview with Tim in full for much more.
Fatshark’s Warhammer 40,000: Darktide gets a new paid Arbites Class DLC on June 23.
The biggest announcement of Warhammer Skulls had to be the return of the Dawn of War franchise. Relic Entertainment announced Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition, due out on PC later in 2025. IGN has an exclusive interview with developer Relic Entertainment in which we discuss the long-awaited return of the real-time strategy classic.
After an announcement at last year’s Warhammer Skulls broadcast, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II got another big reveal this year featuring the Leagues of Votann.
Creative Assembly revealed the next DLC for Total War: Warhammer III, Tides of Torment. We also got to see the next Legendary Lord, coming this summer.
Talisman Digital 5th Edition – Talisman Alliances: Fate Beckons, a new cooperative DLC based on the boardgame expansion, was announced. Trailer below.
Well-received strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector revealed a new major free update, which includes a Crusade game mode, Dominions and Orks Boyz with Choppa, alongside a new paid Deeds of the Fallen DLC.
Fatshark’s Warhammer: Vermintide 2 will be available on Game Pass as part of Skulls, while the third Level of the Verminous Dreams campaign has been released as a free update.
Blood Bowl 3’s new season with a new faction launches June 10. The Khorne Team was announced as part of the event, alongside a sale and a free item for players: the coach for the Khorne Team.
Mobile turn-based strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is getting a new faction, the Adeptus Custodes.
The Emperor’s Children are a new faction coming to Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge (good timing given the recent release of the traitor legion’s new codex).
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius has a new units DLC via the Onslaught pack. The base game is available ‘Free 2 Keep’ on Steam during the week of Skulls. Meanwhile, pre-registration is open for Supremacy: Warhammer 40,000, a brand new grand strategy mobile game launching late 2025.
Daemon Primarch Angron is released as the next Supreme Commander card in Warhammer Combat Cards.
New Warhammer 40,000 in-game stickers based on tabletop decals will be available for Counter-Strike 2 on Steam.
And finally, eight Warhammer video games will be part of the Free Play Days promo over on Xbox from May 22-26, including previous Warhammer Skulls world premiere Rogue Trader, as well as Darktide, Mechanicus, Chaos Gate: Daemon Hunters, and Shootas, Blood & Teef.
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.
Microsoft has just released two new Witcher 3-themed Xbox controllers that look pretty awesome. Both Witcher 3 Special Edition 10th Anniversary Xbox Controllers are available now, exclusively from the Microsoft Store, in standard ($79.99) and Elite Series 2 ($169.99) versions. The reason for the release is because The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt turns 10 years old this month, which is pretty wild, at least for this fan of the game.
Witcher 3 Special Edition 10th Anniversary Xbox Controllers
The two controllers look very similar, with the same Geralt of Rivia-inspired etchings on them. The wolf medallian Geralt wears around his neck is etched into the center of the controller. The blog post announcing the controllers says they “also feature Glagolitic script, the oldest known Slavic alphabet and the same one found in the game itself.” Finally, the right grip features the red claw marks that act as the “III” of the title on the cover of the game. It looks great.
Aside from the Witcher-y design, the controllers act just like their standard counterparts. The current Xbox controller is far and away my personal favorite controller ever made. It feels terrific in hand and is sturdy enough to stand up to the beating my kids put on it.
The Elite Series 2 model has some extra features to justify its added cost. It has adjustable-tension thumbsticks, hair trigger locks, and a wrap-around rubberized grip. It also has interchangeable components like thumbsticks of various heights, different D-pad designs, and rear paddles you can assign to whatever buttons you want.
Like all new Xbox controllers, these controllers are compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, iOS, and Android devices. If you’re not an Xbox-exclusive household, you may also want to take a look at the new Death Stranding 2-themed PS5 controller that went up for preorder today.
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.
Not done collecting all the cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Celestial Guardians Expansion, which dropped literally just three weeks ago? Too bad. Here comes another expansion. It’s called Extradimensional Crisis, it’ll be out on May 29, and it features the wacky-looking Ultra Beasts and creepy chimera Pokemon Type: Null.
Extradimensional Crisis includes the Ultra Beasts, which are weird alien-looking guys that featured prominently in Pokemon Sun and Moon as invaders from another dimension. Confirmed cards include Buzzwole ex, Blacephalon, Nihilego, and Guzzlord ex. We’re also getting more Alola Pokemon to add to the ones introduced in Celestial Guardians, and Type: Null (which likely means its evolution, Silvally, is coming too).
A new expansion also means new cosmetics, and we’re getting an Ultra Beast-themed binder cover available in exchange for shop tickets beginning May 29, and a floral display board for purchase with event tickets from an upcoming Wonder Pick event starting June 11.
Pokemon TCG Pocket has been dropping expansions at a healthy clip ever since its launch last year. Though Extradimensional Crisis is technically a minor booster expansion (just one booster pack type instead of two or three), it’s still coming right on the heels of the expansions before it. Extradimensional Crisis is the seventh expansion total and the fourth smaller expansion alongside Mythical Island, Triumphant Light, and Shining Revelry. For now, none of the expansions have been retired, and all are still available in game… for now.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
I never expected kicking a member of the Foot Clan to the curb before skateboarding over to pick up a pizza as an orange-clad Ninja Turtle would work just as well in a tactics game as it does in a classic beat-em-up, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown cleverly translates the approachable pick-up-and-play action and slim scope of the team’s arcadey adventures like Turtles In Time into a compelling, if barebones, turn-based tactics game. While missing some of the necessary communication that make the best strategy games tick, it’s still a blast to raise some shell as New York’s bodacious band of brothers.
Trim and concise, Tactical Takedown doesn’t waste time on an ooze-spilling origin story to get its story moving. You’ll know just about everything you need to after the first five minutes, though I’m sure you can guess: The Foot Clan, led by Shredder’s daughter Karai, is up to no good as always. This time, they’ve teamed up with mad scientist and fellow stalwart TMNT villain Baxter Stockman as they unleash a new plot to take over New York. Dialogue is relegated to only a minute or two of text boxes before and after each level, but Tactical Takedown still manages to make the most of that slim territory – it delivers a personal story about loss that does a great job of coloring outside the lines in vibrant blue, purple, red, and orange when it has to, especially with Leo and Raph’s relationship.
Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo all ring true to the rhyming taglines about them that you may remember from your theme song iteration of choice, but this tale also sees the soon-to-be-20-something turtles facing the challenges of fighting without their brothers. That’s because all of the levels are solo missions, each carried out by a pre-determined turtle on his own turf. I’m disappointed with how exactly Tactical Takedown chose to reckon with that theme of isolation in its third act, but it does give every brother a chance to shine on their own while fighting.
Each unit, including the Turtles, looks like a static figurine on a grid-based board, almost like what you’d get from a tabletop game. They’re more animated than static game pieces, shifting poses based on their attacks, the last action they took, or what kind of status effect they may have, but are mostly still. It’s a clever, lo-fi homage to the Turtles’ static origins in the panels of Eastman and Laird’s comics, but a zoomed-out camera obscures the personality you’d expect from the colorful, action figure-like combatants. Couple that with a surprising lack of voice acting, these often larger-than-life caricatures of teenagers can feel more like lifeless game pieces.
These larger-than-life characters can feel more like lifeless figurines.
Although the adolescent ninjas all have six health points, six action points to spend on stuff like moving and attacking each turn, and three arcade-style continues for when the going gets tough, they have distinct movesets that play into their weapons and personalities well as they disrupt the Foot in their territory. Leo’s straightforward prowess over martial arts gives him a satisfyingly rhythmic flow that matches up nicely with the tight lanes of the subway. Dispensing debuffs that set up a more devastating blow on the next action, while stacking a buff that allows him to evade any attack, made him my favorite as I cleared a few of his missions without taking a single hit.
Meanwhile, Donnie’s complex but rewarding traps and map control made poisonous sewer water my ally. It was fun to use his kunai attack to stop Foot ninja when they were waist-deep in the toxic sewage, then knock away at their health from dry ground with his bo staff while throwing out electrical traps to keep my perimeter safe. Raph’s powerful bursts of strength suited the small Manhattan rooftops well as I kicked ninja to their doom, which granted a buff that let me deal extra damage and collect extra action points with his sai attack. Then, I’d cannonball into another group of enemies, sending out a damaging shockwave and dishing out a debuff that let me deal extra damage to every enemy around me, reaping even more action points. Finally, Mikey’s skateboard made him a dependably acrobatic street fighter whose mobility made it easy to jet from one end of a stage to the other before kicking obstacles at Foot ninja like in a classic martial arts movie.
Every turtle has extra unlockable abilities to buy from a shop using shells, which are doled out based on your performance in each level, but they don’t feel necessary to reach the end on your first try – in fact, I didn’t even notice the shop until after I rolled credits on Tactical Takedown’s 6-ish-hour campaign. It wasn’t until I started chasing high scores in a few levels that I realized how transformative those new abilities could be, and I loved how customizable each turtle’s moveset ultimately felt. My favorite added useful moves to Raph’s kit that came with downside of damaging himself, but then paired with less powerful attacks that had a vampiric healing effect to balance things out.
Building new loadouts also highlighted something that annoyed me about Tactical Takedown, though: Communication, or lack thereof (ironically, a core theme of this turtles story). This take on TMNT doesn’t make important gameplay elements clear in some moments, which can be a widowmaker in any game where strategy is king. For example, new moves only describe their range or area of effect (ie: 1-meter cone) rather than showing you what that shape or range might look like on the tactics grid. Another move I discovered applied a debuff I hadn’t seen yet, but it didn’t say what that debuff actually did, frustratingly leaving me to find out a few turns into a battle. Basic tooltips like this have been in strategy games for years, making their absence even more confusing and frustrating.
I loved how customizable each turtle’s moveset felt.
These issues aren’t nearly as pronounced when you’re actually in the heat of a battle, but they still pop up in frustrating ways. Instead of just showing what buffs or debuffs an enemy has when hovering over them with your cursor, like most other contemporary strategy games, you need to enter a separate inspection mode to figure out what that move you just used did to the Foot ninja you’re about to take out. Thankfully, you can always hit tab before using a move to check exactly what it does. But other stats, like a Turtle’s likelihood to dodge incoming attacks, which happened at random, just weren’t clear enough to me.
Once I wrapped my mind around what each buff and debuff did, I got into a comfortable rhythm with Tactical Takedown. These effects are visualized on the board by altering the game piece-like characters, each causing different poses or cartoonish flourishes that add some rare life and personality, which eventually made it so I didn’t need to tab over a move to remind myself of a specific effect every other turn.
Things also become easier to track because Tactical Takedown doesn’t really grow or evolve after the first hour or so. Once you’ve played each Turtle’s first level, you’ll have seen a surprising chunk of the enemy types, obstacles, and design ideas the whole package has to offer. This leaves all sense of progression to wholly optional unlocks and the small bites of story, and there’s never much of a challenge until the very last level. Such a narrow scope reflects that of a classic TMNT beat-em-up, and like those bygone classics (and Shredder’s Revenge), Tactical Takedown largely gets by on the merit of its combat and how accurately it nails the feel of each character. Fully clearing the board of Foot soldiers in a single turn using a masterful understanding of each Turtle’s moveset was consistently satisfying and enjoyable, but I still kicked the same nameless ninja off of a lot of different rooftops.
Tactical Takedown further echoes those classics by grading your performance in each level with an arcade-style scoring system. Each takedown adds to a multiplier, further encouraging that hunt for a satisfying screen wipe. And once you’ve cleared a level, your number of KOs, remaining continues, and total damage will contribute to both a final score and the amount of shells you’ll earn to spend in the shop. Each mission comes with a par score to shoot for or surpass, which was a fun motivator to get me back in action and try some levels with new movesets.
The places where this formula breaks from its arcade inspirations don’t do it any favors, either. Disappointingly, it doesn’t have that many boss fights – and what few are present are saved for the very end and aren’t very memorable (except for the very last one), which only worsens that stale feeling. But the lack of a meaningful team-up makes for an even worse break from canon than the sparse bosses. While I understand that Tactical Takedown is all about the Turtles growing apart, it’s frustrating that we never get to see the Turtles at their best: Together. Tactical Takedown partially remedies this in its fourth chapter, but not in a very satisfying way.
The upcoming set, which will debut on August 1, hasn’t had any card spoilers just yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know at least a little about what’s coming.
Here’s everything we know about Magic: The Gathering: Edge of Eternities so far.
What is MTG Edge of Eternities?
This year, Wizards of the Coast is leaning hard into Universes Beyond sets, with Final Fantasy the first of three sets this year which leans on established franchises outside of the company’s own characters and settings, followed up by Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender last in the year.
Whatever your thoughts on that, Edge of Eternities is the opposite, offering a new set with a more cosmic focus but still within Magic’s own universe (although it is sandwiched between Final Fantasy and Spider-Man).
We’ve seen little more than concept art, but we do know the new set will mark the beginning of the final story arc of the Metronome storyline, which began with Wilds of Eldraine (if you’re still following).
Play Boosters
Play Boosters have become the de facto way to open packs now, replacing Set Boosters and Draft Boosters.
These packs are draftable for sealed play, and contain 15 cards each (although the last one in the pack is usually an advert, art card, or token). Cards 1 to 6 are commons, while card 7 is a common card that can be a reprint.
Cards 8, 9 and 10 are uncommons, while card 11 offers your rare/mythic. Card 12 is a Land card, and can be foil or have full art, while card 13 is a “wildcard” that can be any card from the set.
Then you get a wildcard that’s a guaranteed foil for card 14, with the idea being that players have more of a chance to get chase cards from these packs. You can buy Play Boosters individually or pick up a booster box.
Collector Boosters
Collector Boosters are much pricier than their Play Booster counterparts, and offer 16 cards (although again, one is a token).
In these, you can find five rare or mythic rares, as well as four uncommons and five commons, as well as one land.
They’ll also come with a slicker frame design in many instances, with 12 – 13 of the cards included being foils.
Again, you can pick them up individually or as a box, but expect to pay a high price.
Commander Decks
Commander has become Magic’s most popular format, with the thrill of “last player standing” matches and 100-card decks playable right out of the box making for a great jumping-on point for new players.
The number of decks included in each set has varied wildly this year. For example, Aetherdrift offered two Commander options, while Tarkir: Dragonstorm had a whopping five, and Final Fantasy offers four.
Edge of Eternities is scaling back the volume, with two decks: World Shaper and Counter Intelligence.
The former comes in Black, Red, and Green colors (Jund), and the text on the box says players will “Sacrifice Lands” and “Grow Back Stronger”.
Counter Intelligence, on the other hand, is Blue, Red, and White (Jeskai) and says you can use its contents to “Boost Artifacts” and “Proliferate Counters”.
Bundles and Prerelease Packs
Finally, as is tradition now you’ll be able to pick up a Bundle and Prerelease Pack for the new set.
Bundles include a series of 9 Play Boosters, as well as one promo card with exclusive alternate art, as well as a full set of 10 Full-Art Lands in foil and non-foil, as well as a spindown dice and a card storage box. Prerelease works a little differently, with the idea being that the set is used at a prerelease event.
Players open the box, and use the six Play Boosters inside to build a deck comprising of 40 cards. Prerelease boxes are found at your local game store.
Lloyd Coombes is Gaming Editor @ Daily Star. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay. He’s also a tech, gaming, and fitness freelancer seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, IGN, and more.
This article includes contributions from Hannah Hoolihan.
Renewed calls for a fresh Star Wars Battlefront game have been given a boost by an actor from critically-acclaimed TV series Andor.
The past month has seen fans flock back to 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 — generating the game’s best player count on Steam in years, despite support from developer DICE ending a long time ago.
Now, Andor’s Muhannad Ben Amor, who plays the heroic Wilmon Paak, has taken to social media to help campaign for a fully-operational sequel.
“Star Wars gotta give us Battlefront 3 ASAP,” Amor wrote on Instagram (thanks, Comicbook), revealing he had played Battlefront 2 for 469 hours. That’s great kid, but don’t get cocky.
“Grew up with Battlefront 2 — been a veteran since day one,” Amor continued. “Let’s HOPE Battlefront 3 happens.”
The past month has seen the popularity of Star Wars Battlefront 2 soar, thanks in part to the success of Andor’s climactic second season, and other Star Wars activity surrounding the franchise’s annual May 4 celebrations.
After years averaging a Steam player count of around 2,000 players, the game’s popularity has been steadily climbing over the past few weeks, and is now close to topping its 10,000-player all-time concurrent Steam peak.
DICE may also still hold some reluctance to revisit the series, after Battlefront 2 originally launched amid a huge controversy over its loot boxes. Over time, however, sentiment towards the game has shifted. And while publisher EA, DICE’s owner, is no longer exclusively making Star Wars games, Respawn is still at work in the galaxy far, far away making a Star Wars Jedi threequel.
“Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a redemption story worthy of the Skywalker saga,” IGN wrote in its 2019 Star Wars Battlefront 2 re-review. “Overall, it’s a great package now that serves as one of the best and most thrilling ways to have an authentic Star Wars gaming experience.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
From soaring with dragons to facing off against Sephiroth and Aang, Magic: The Gathering has a packed year ahead. 2025 marks the first full cycle under Wizards of the Coast’s new release strategy, which splits the calendar evenly between the more classic Magic-original sets and the wildly popular “Universes Beyond” crossovers.
Most of the year’s main sets (aside from Avatar: The Last Airbender) are already available to preorder or buy on Amazon. That said, please also consult your local game store to find out when they’re accepting preorders as well.
MTG: 2025 Release Calendar – At a Glance
Here’s your set-by-set guide to what’s dropping in 2025, breaking down release dates, when you can get your hands on everything, where you can preorder, and even includes a running list of every Secret Lair drop so far this year. We’re starting off with a quick glance over the 2025 release calendar, but let’s jump into a more in-depth look as well.
Already revealed to be the best-selling Magic set in the game’s almost 35-year history, and it isn’t even out yet, the Universes Beyond Final Fantasy set is a love letter designed by fans of RPG for fans.
Featuring a larger set than normal, the cards here will showcase each of the 16 core entries featuring their iconic heroes, villains, creatures, and locations.
Each of the four preconstructed Commander decks is based around specific games, including VI, VII, X, and the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, each of which is available as both standard and collector versions.
This release looks to be one of the biggest launches this year, so grab your gunblade and get ready. We also recently explored our top ten picks to keep an eye out for when ripping open your sealed boosters in a few weeks.
While most of the commander decks and various other bundles are currently out of stock at major retailers, here’s the pages to bookmark come June 13 in case anywhere restocks on the day. It’s also worth bookmarking this page, and following @IGNDeals on Twitter/X and Bluesky for further updates on restocks in the coming weeks.
Rare Cards to Look Out For on Release Day
With nearly 700 cards in the Final Fantasy set, including Extended Art, Borderless, and Surge Foil variants, there’s a lot to track. But a few standout rares are already turning heads ahead of launch on June 5.
Buying before release day is always a risk, as prices can drop fast once the full set hits, so holster that gunblade, and simply observe for now. Still, if you’re watching the market or planning your pulls, these are the biggest rare cards to keep an eye on right now.
Secret Lair X Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is also getting its very own Secret Lair release as well on June 9, costing $399.99.
These drops will go on sale as part of our Summer Superdrop on June 9, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT (June 10 at 1 a.m. JST), exclusively at MagicSecretLair.
These drops are available in limited quantities. Here’s everything in the set.
Secret Lair x Final Fantasy: Game Over (Jun 9) – 5 cards
Spira’s Punishment (Day of Judgement)
Absorb into Time (Temporal Extortion)
Merciless Poisoning (Toxic Deluge)
Unseat the Usurper (Praetor’s Grasp)
Meteorfall (Star of Extinction)
Secret Lair x Final Fantasy: Grimoire (Jun 9) – 5 cards
Yuna’s Holy Magic (Prismatic Ending)
Hope’s Aero Magic (Cyclonic Rift)
Noctis’ Death Magic (Damn)
Vivi’s Thunder Magic (Lightning Bolt)
Aerith’s Curage Magic (Heroic Intervention)
Secret Lair x Final Fantasy: Weapons (Jun 9) – 5 cards
Yuna’s Sending Staff (Staff of the Storyteller)
Clive’s Invictus Blade (Blade of Selves)
Cloud’s Buster Sword (Umezawa’s Jitte)
Gaia’s Dark Hammer (Colossus Hammer)
Tidus’s Brotherhood Sword (Sword of Truth and Justice)
Edge of Eternities – Aug. 1
Space, the final frontier. This is the theme for Edge of Eternities, the Summertime Magic set. Its mission, to introduce space-fantasy into the realm of Magic: The Gathering, explore strange new worlds, and to seek out new planeswalkers and combos, to tap things that have never been tapped before.
This will mark the first time that Wizards is taking players into a more space-fantasy landscape, including slinging spells against aliens. It remains to be seen if there will be space wizards with swords made of light, however.
Marvel’s Spider-Man – Sept. 26
The debut set of the Marvel and Wizards of the Coast partnership features Spider-Man and will be swinging onto shelves this fall!
Players can expect to see cards based around not only Spidey himself but also members of his rogues gallery, including the Green Goblin, Doc Oc, and even the winner of 1988’s “Best Tongue Award”, Venom. Unfortunately, this set won’t see any preconstructed decks.
This set will be getting a special type of product, however, with the Scene Box. Along with three play boosters, this set will give you six special borderless art cards that can be positioned to form a single action-packed scene that looks like it was pulled straight from the comics, featuring Spidey fending off villains, which can be displayed on the included paper easel.
Players on Wizards’ digital MTG client, Magic Arena and Magic Online, will also see Spider-Man set, albeit without Spider-Man. Wizards has opted to create a duplicate Marvel-free set that is functionally identical but without any of the characters or imagery, referred to as “Through the Omenpaths” as a digital-only release.
Universes Beyond Avatar: The Last Airbender – Nov. 21
Closing out the year will be Aang and company with Universes Beyond – Avatar: The Last Airbender. Currently, outside of its existence, very little is known about this set, including what products will be released for it.
All we know is that we players can expect their favorite characters to show up, beautiful artwork, and an elemental showdown. But, if Wizards of the Coast nails the artwork and card mechanics, this could be one of the coolest Universes Beyond sets we have ever seen. Stay tuned for more news.
Every MTG Set Released So Far in 2025
Here’s every Magic: The Gathering set released in 2025 so far, ordered from most recent release (Tarkir Dragonstorm), all the way to the first release of the year (Innistrad Remastered).
Tarkir Dragonstorm – Apr. 11 2025 (Out Now)
Tarkir Dragonstorm returns players to the plane of Tarkir, which was last seen back in 2014, and once again features not only a ton of powerful dragons but also the various clans that rule this land.
The five clans, the Abzan Houses, the Jeskai Way, the Sultai Brood, Mardu Horde, and the Temur Froniter, each are built around different slices of the color pie, and this uniqueness is further expanded on with Dragonstor, with each clan, along with the dragons themselves, featuring new specialty mechanics tailored to their playstyle.
Big creatures, cool abilities, and more dragons to cram into your Ur Dragon EDH deck are here for fans, and on the topic of Commander, this set also features five different precon decks, with each one made for each clan.
Aetherdrift – Feb. 14 2025 (Out Now)
If you were to summarize Aetherdrift as “Magic with racecars,” you would be a good 80% there. A large, multiversal race, known as the Ghirapur Grand Prix, is taking place in Avishkar, and racers from planes including Duskmourn and Amonket, among others are in attendance.
One of the special mechanics unique to Aetherdrift is “Speed,” where cards can get better, the more of these speed tokens they have, and along with the special showcase art cards, which resemble ’80s racing posters, really help the “professional racing” aesthetic land with this set. It also has Chandra the Planeswalker doing the Akira slide on a card.
Innistrad Remastered – Jan. 24. 2025 (Out Now)
Innistrad is Magic’s original Gothic Horror plane that first dropped back in 2011. These Remastered sets are special releases that include beloved card reprints and mechanics with some updates sprinkled in.
Innistrad Remastered started out the year giving players a new chance to get fan-favorite cards like Edgar Markov, Liliana of the Veil, and Archangel Avacyn. This set is a great way to introduce newer players to some of the game’s fabled history.
Secret Lair Releases – 2025 So Far
Featuring: Jack Teagle (Feb. 3) – 5 cards
Mulldrifter
All Will Be One
Benevolent Hydra
Forgotten Ancient
Animar, Soul of Elements
Artist Series: Jesper Ejsing (Feb. 10) – 5 cards
Llanowar Elves
Sun Titan
Breeches, Eager Pillager
Deflecting Swat
Llanowar Elves
Lorwyn Lightboxes (Feb. 10) – 5 cards
Ancient Amphitheater
Auntie’s Hovel
Gilt-Leaf Palace
Secluded Glen
Wanderwine Hub
City Styles 2: Dressed to Kill (Feb. 10) – 5 cards
Sandy Cheeks, Martial Astronaut (Toski, Bearer of Secrets)
Patrick Star (Barktooth Warbeard)
SpongeBob SquarePants (Jodah, the Unifer)
Spongebob SquarePants: Lands under the Sea (Mar. 24) – 6 cards
5 basic lands
Command Tower
SpongeBob SquarePants: Internet Sensation (Mar. 24) – 9 cards
Counterspell
Daze
Inevitable Betrayal
Force of Despair
Night’s Whisper
Food token
Smothering Tithe
cOuNTeRspELl
Dismember
Twisted Toons (Mar. 24) – 5 cards
Silence
Winds of Abandon
Culling the Weak
Fatal Push
Young Wolf
Tragic Romance (Mar. 24) – 4 cards
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Kaalia of the Vast
Angel of Despair
Master of Cruelties
They Grow Up So Fast (Mar. 24) – 5 cards
Dragonlord Atarka
Dragonlord Dromoka
Dragonlord Kolaghan
Dragonlord Ojutai
Dragonlord Silumgar
Secret Lair: Class of ‘87 (Mar. 24) – 4 cards
Aesi, Tyran of Gyre Strait
Anje Falkenrath
Chulane, Teller of Tales
Radha, Heart of Keld
Pick’em and Stick’em (Mar. 24) – 10 cards
5 sticker cards
Thalia, Heretic Cathar
Clever Impersonator
Hedron Crab
Pitiliss Plunderer
Treasure token
Garden Buds (Mar. 24) – 5 cards
Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
Elvish Reclaimer
Harrow
World Shaper
Horn of Greed
Oishi! Tokens (Mar. 26) – 4 cards
4 Food tokens
Secret Lair X Marvel’s Deadpool (Apr. 1) – 7 cards
Harmless Offering
Blacker Lotus
Deadpool, Trading Card
Deadly Rolick
Saw in Half
Blasphemous Act
Vandalblast
Adventures of the Little Witch (Apr. 22) – 4 cards
Secret Rendezvous
Serenity
Esika’s Chariot
Realms Uncharted
VROOOOOMMMMMM! (Apr. 28) – 5 cards
Lava Dart
Monastery Swiftspear
Soul-Scar Mage
Underworld Breach
Mishra’s Bauble
Everything Is On Fire (Apr. 28) – 5 cards
Chain Lightning
Dragon’s Rage Channeler
Lava Spike
Rift Bolt
Skewer the Critics
Featuring: Jay Howell (Apr. 28) – 5 cards
Agent of Treachery
Priest of Forgotten Gods
Treasonous Ogre
Uncivil Unrest
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Secret Lair X KEXP: Where the Music Matters (Apr. 28) – 6 cards
5 basic lands
Command Tower
Secret Lair X KEXP: You Are Not Alone (Apr. 28) – 6 cards
Cultural Exchange
Folio of Fancies
Concordant Crossroads
Rites of Flourishing
Font of Mythos
Minds Aglow
Everyone’s Invited! (May 12) – 15 cards
Morophon, the Boundless
Raise the Palisade
Bitterblossom
Taurean Mauler
Avenger of Zendikar
Kindred Summons
Tendershoot Dryad
Coat of Arms
Maskwood Nexus
Sol Ring
Rin and Seri, Inseparable
4 Shapeshifter tokens
Slay the Day (May 19) – 4 cards
Marwyn, the Nurturer
Liesa, Shroud of Dusk
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
Sythis, Harvest’s Hand
Secret Lair x Final Fantasy: Game Over (Jun 9) – 5 cards
Spira’s Punishment (Day of Judgement)
Absorb into Time (Temporal Extortion)
Merciless Poisoning (Toxic Deluge)
Unseat the Usurper (Praetor’s Grasp)
Meteorfall (Star of Extinction)
Secret Lair x Final Fantasy: Grimoire (Jun 9) – 5 cards
Yuna’s Holy Magic (Prismatic Ending)
Hope’s Aero Magic (Cyclonic Rift)
Noctis’ Death Magic (Damn)
Vivi’s Thunder Magic (Lightning Bolt)
Aerith’s Curage Magic (Heroic Intervention)
Secret Lair x Final Fantasy: Weapons (Jun 9) – 5 cards
Yuna’s Sending Staff (Staff of the Storyteller)
Clive’s Invictus Blade (Blade of Selves)
Cloud’s Buster Sword (Umezawa’s Jitte)
Gaia’s Dark Hammer (Colossus Hammer)
Tidus’s Brotherhood Sword (Sword of Truth and Justice)
Product Key – What to Buy?
Here is a breakdown of the standard types of products that sets release with and what they include.
Play Boosters
These are standard bread-and-butter 15-card packs of random cards. Each pack is composed of 7 common cards, 3 uncommon cards, 1 rare or mythic rare card, 1 basic land, 1 non-foil wild car, 1 foil wild card, and 1 ad, token, helper, or art card.
Most booster boxes contain 30 of these 15-card packs, though some special sets may contain fewer (usually 24).
Collector Boosters
Much like the Play Boosters, Collector Boosters also have 15 random cards in the pack. Still, these special packs contain more cards of higher rarities, special foiling, unique art or bordered cards, double-sided tokens, and potentially other bonuses.
These packs are also far more expensive than a typical Play Booster, and Collector Booster Boxes also only contain 12 packs of these elusive cards.
Commander Decks
The Commander format may have started as a community-driven format, but Wizards of the Coast has adopted it and now releases its own preconstructed 100-card Commander decks.
Each deck comes with two possible cards that can serve as the deck’s commander (Commander creatures have to be a Legendary creature, and whose color identity dictates the color cards that can be included in the deck.)
Each deck contains any required tokens for the deck, a 2-card Collector Booster sample pack, a strategy insert explaining its respective deck, and a reference card.
Collector’s Edition Commander Decks
Similar to Collector Boosters, these special Commander decks are functionally identical to their standard version counterparts, except with some special art and foiling for collectors.
Their prices are also far higher, and their lower print runs make them tough to get.
Bundle
Bundle products are great options for gifts, or if you want some packs of cards but also some nifty extras, too. Each bundle comes with 9 Play Booster packs, a bunch of basic land cards (unique to the given set), a pretty dice (usually a d20), and a storage box.
If you and each friend get a bundle, it can make for a fun draft experience, too.
Gift Bundle
The Gift Bundle is nearly identical to the standard bundle except for two things—it comes with a Collector Booster in addition to the standard nine play boosters, and the storage box has a bit more flair and foiling.
Prerelease Packs
Prerelease packs are special releases that you can get at your local game store during a set’s Prerelease launch event, containing six play boosters, a special promo card, and a special life counter – everything you need to create a small 40-card deck to compete against other attendees.
There tend to be various themes of these packs for players to pick from, with some cards that are more tailored to that specific faction or color combination.
Starter Kit
The Starter Kit is a product designed to introduce the game to new players. It contains two 60-card decks, boxes to store them, and instructional aids to help walk the two players through their first games.
As an added bonus, these also tend to include redemption codes to unlock the decks on Magic Arena, the digital Magic: The Gathering platform.
Released Sets of 2024: A Look Back
Magic: The Gathering Foundations – November 15, 2024
Capping off the year, Foundations arrived as Magic’s new entry-level product aimed squarely at newcomers. With simplified cards, curated reprints, and a structure reminiscent of Jumpstart, it was designed to make onboarding smoother than ever.
It’s the clearest sign yet that Wizards wants to bolster Magic’s long-term future by making the game more accessible without sacrificing its core identity.
Duskmourn: House of Horror – October 2024
Halloween season brought with it Duskmourn: House of Horror, one of the boldest thematic swings Magic has taken in years. Set entirely within a haunted mansion, it channeled modern horror vibes through its claustrophobic design, disturbing card art, and jump scare flavor. Instead of the usual plane-spanning scope, this set kept things intimate and creepy — and it worked.
Bloomburrow – August 2, 2024
If Duskmourn was the year’s most terrifying set, Bloomburrow was its most adorable. Set on a plane with no humans, it introduced a cast of heroic woodland critters — squirrels, frogs, bats, and more — banding together to defend their home. With its storybook aesthetic and approachable mechanics, Bloomburrow offered a lighter, friendlier take on the game that still held plenty of strategic depth.
Secret Lair: Monty Python and the Holy Grail – July 29, 2024
A standout among this year’s Secret Lair drops, the Monty Python and the Holy Grail collaboration leaned fully into the absurd. Split across two releases, it packed classic Magic cards with deeply specific Python references — from coconuts-as-horses to the European vs. African swallow gag — making it a bizarre, quotable delight for fans of the 1975 film.
Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed – July 5, 2024
July also saw the release of Magic’s crossover with Assassin’s Creed, adding another chapter to the Universes Beyond initiative. Sold in Beyond Boosters rather than traditional draft packs, the set emphasized thematic resonance over gameplay structure. Featuring major characters like Ezio, Altair, and historical icons like Leonardo da Vinci, it managed to blend stealth and strategy while staying Modern-legal.
Modern Horizons 3 – June 14, 2024
The third Modern Horizons entry didn’t hold back. Released in June, it introduced powerful new cards, format-defining reprints, and returning mechanics like Energy. Double-faced planeswalkers made a triumphant comeback, echoing Magic Origins, and familiar worlds like Zendikar and Theros helped inject a nostalgic punch. The draft format, meanwhile, was one of the deepest of the year.
Outlaws of Thunder Junction – April 19, 2024
Magic went full Western in April with Outlaws of Thunder Junction, a stylish and surprisingly villain-centric set. This was a rootin’-tootin’ showcase of bandits, bounty hunters, and black hats, complete with new mechanics like Plot and Spree. It pushed flavor to the forefront, giving Magic one of its most cohesive and playful settings in recent memory.
Universes Beyond: Fallout – March 8, 2024
March gave Commander players a radioactive treat with Universes Beyond: Fallout. The set delivered four thematically distinct Commander decks, tapping into iconic factions and characters from the Fallout games — Brotherhood of Steel, Super Mutants, Vault Dwellers, and more. With its retro-futuristic flair and solid deck construction, it proved a strong crossover effort.
Murders at Karlov Manor – February 9, 2024
Murders at Karlov Manor reimagined Ravnica through the lens of a murder mystery, complete with suspects, disguises, and evidence to collect. It introduced new mechanics to match the whodunit theme and even crossed over with Clue for an extra meta twist. It was a narrative-forward set that let Magic flex some genre muscles outside of its usual fantasy fare.
Ravnica Remastered – January 12, 2024
The year opened with a love letter to one of Magic’s most beloved settings. Ravnica Remastered compiled highlights from the city-plane’s long history, featuring cards from across its three blocks with updated art and retro-frame treatments. From powerful shock lands to fan-favorite guild cards, it was a nostalgia-rich start to the year for both collectors and players alike.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
Includes contributions from Christian Wait and Robert Anderson.
Google has launched an advanced AI video generation tool capable of creating Fortnite gameplay clips that look almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Veo 3 launched this week and has already raised eyebrows for its dystopian ability to create life-like video clips from simple text-based prompts and include realistic-sounding audio.
Other generative AI programs, such as OpenAI’s Sora, have been doing similar for some time — but the ability for Veo 3 to include lifelike audio really is a remarkable, if chilling, step forward.
Veo 3 users are still testing out what the tool is capable of, but within two days have begun producing Fortnite gameplay with a fake streamer commenting over the top. The quality is good enough that, while scrolling on social media, you’d think it was a legimate clip from YouTube or Twitch.
Technically, Veo 3 should not be infringing on anyone’s copyrighted material — and it’s safe to assume Fortnite developer Epic Games did not sign this one off. But clearly the AI tool has had access to the millions of hours of Fortnite gameplay posted online, and is now able to reproduce a convincing representation on command.
One clip, showing a streamer celebrating as they win a match using only their pickaxe, was apparently created within Veo 3 using a text-based prompt of nine words: “Streamer getting a victory royale with just his pickaxe”.
In writing this prompt, Veo 3 has not been told specifically to create Fortnite gameplay. Still, it understands from the context what game the user is referring to.
Veo 3’s abilities throw up all sorts of questions, and far more pressing ones than simple copyright concerns. The ability to create footage like this undoubtedly aids users looking to fool others with disinformation, and in so doing undermine trust in legitimate footage.
“I can not tell if this is real or not,” reads one reply. “We’re cooked,” reads another.
“The only way this is possible is if Veo 3 was trained on an enormous amount of Fortnite content,” a third reply reads. “Wouldn’t be surprised if everything that gets uploaded to YouTube is now being trained on despite copyright laws.”
IGN has asked Epic for comment.
For a better look at what Veo 3 is capable of outside of video games, here’s a clip of the algorithm creating a fake news report on an automobile trade show that doesn’t exist, with fake interviewees answering fake questions.
Before you ask: yes, everything is AI here. The video and sound both coming from a single text prompt using #Veo3 by @GoogleDeepMind .Whoever is cooking the model, let him cook! Congrats @Totemko and the team for the Google I/O live stream and the new Veo site! pic.twitter.com/sxZuvFU49s
Microsoft has been interested in creating its own AI-generated footage of video games, and recently unveiled the early results of its Muse program, which it said it had trained on countless hours of Xbox shooter Bleeding Edge. Xbox boss Phil Spencer suggested Muse could be used to help ideate game concepts in the future, and even somehow aid in game preservation.