The Resident Evil Requiem from The Game Awards finally confirmed that Leon S. Kennedy will return as the game’s second playable protagonist. Although he has aged a bit since we last saw him, Japanese fans have been taking to social media to praise Leon’s suave, older look.
Slated for a multiplatform release on February 27, 2026, Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth mainline title in Capcom’s survival horror series. It will introduce new main character Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who is investigating a series of mysterious deaths that seem to be linked to Victor Gideon, a former Umbrella Corp. researcher. While it seems that Grace’s parts of the game will play more like typical survival horror, the new trailer, below, gave fans a peek at Leon’s more action-orientated zombie-battling gameplay, complete with chainsaw. “Grace’s gameplay style is based on Resident Evil 2, whereas Leon’s is based on Resident Evil 4,” director Akifumi Nakanishi revealed in a recent interview with Denfaminicogamer.
Although Leon has always had his fans, the D.S.O agent’s middle-aged incarnation is getting much praise from Japanese speaking users on X. He’s already being affectionately called ikeoji (literally, “hot uncle” — a cool and attractive older guy). “Leon’s gradually becoming a hot uncle” one user mused. Sharing some screenshots, another user chimed in with “Leon’s aging in a cool way.” Another user summed up: “Resident Evil 9’s Leon is too hot. He’s 49 in this (as of 2026)? He’s so suave.”
Fans are also getting inspired to draw Leon’s new look. “Leon in Resi 9’s new trailer is too damn fine,” said one user, posting the following fan art. “He’s aging in such a wonderful way, while retaining his coolness. I’m really looking forward to meeting this Leon,” enthused another user. “He’s turning into a hot older guy, like Keanu Reeves!” said one commenter.
Other eagle-eyed trailer viewers have noticed that Leon seems to have some kind of rash on his neck, prompting concerns that he has been infected. While many seem to be enjoying middle-aged Leon’s looks, others are worried as to whether he should still be fighting off mutants at his age, with one person saying: “I love Leon, but they should let him rest.” In the previously mentioned Denfaminicogamer interview, Resident Evil Requiem’s director revealed that Leon has a “major secret” that will have significant implications (but he’s keeping quiet on what exactly that is).
Legendary Japanese game developer Hideki Kamiya also weighed in on Leon’s new appearance and how some of Capcom’s beloved characters are getting long in the tooth. “Uncle Leon, at the very least, I would like for you to live happily in your old age,” Kamiya commented, sharing a timelapse of Leon’s aging face. In response, another user wrote that, although they were fine with game characters getting older, they hoped that Resident Evil and Devil May Cry characters could receive the happy ending they deserve. Replying to this, Kamiya mused: “Even if Dante became happy, won’t he always be poor?”
Resident Evil Requiem’s devs have already revealed that switching between playing as Grace and Leon will be like “jumping into a cold bath after a hot sauna,” such is the contrast between the tense survival horror sneaking and Leon’s no-holds-barred action. According to director Akifumi Nakanishi, there will be an almost equal split between newcomer Grace and fan favorite Leon. “Although he’s a character who carries a lot on his shoulders, we took a lot of care in refining him into an ‘ikeoji’,” Nakanishi concluded. “The reactions to the trailer on that front have made us happy (laughs).”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has released the Cold Snap update alongside lengthy patch notes for version 1.7.0 of the extraction shooter.
As announced, the headline gameplay change here is the Cold Snap map condition, but there’s also the start of the Flickering Flames event. Players also have the Expedition Departure Window, the new free Raider Deck ‘Goalie’ coming on December 26, and new quests and items. We’ve got a full rundown of all the new content in the Cold Snap update as well as the gameplay changes.
But the focus here is on the just-released 1.7.0 patch. Highlights include Skill Tree Reset functionality, the addition of an option to toggle Aim Down Sights, Raider Tool customization, the Wallet now shows your Cred soft cap, the Aphelion blueprint drop moved from the Matriarch to Stella Montis, and various festive items “to get you into the holiday spirit.” It’s also worth noting an improved Stella Montis spawn distance to address the issue of players spawning too close to each other.
The patch notes, below, detail various balance changes alongside explanations from Embark Studios. And there are various fixes. Strap yourself in — this is a long one.
Arc Raiders Cold Snap update 1.7.0 Patch Notes:
Balance Changes
Weapons:
Bettina
Dev note: These changes aim to make the Bettina a bit less reliant on bringing a secondary weapon. The weapon should now be a bit more competent in PVP, without tipping the scales too much. Data shows that this weapon is still the highest performing PVE weapon at its rarity (Not counting the Hullcracker). The durability should also feel more in line with our other assault rifles.
Durability Burn Rate has been reduced from ~0.43% to ~0.17% per shot
In practice, it used to take about 12 full magazines to fully deplete durability, but now it takes 26 (also accounting for the increased magazine size).
Base Magazine Size has been increased from 20 to 22
Base Reload Time has been reduced from 5 to 4.5
Rattler
Dev note: Even though the Rattler isn’t intended to compete with the Stitcher or Kettle at close ranges, it is receiving a minor buff to bring its PVP TTK at lower levels a bit closer to the Stitcher and Kettle. The weapon should remain in its intended role as a more deliberate weapon where players are expected to dip in and out of cover, fire in controlled bursts, and manage their reloads.
Base Magazine Size has been increased from 10 to 12
ARC:
Shredder
Reduced the amount of knockback applied by weapons. Increased movement speed and turning responsiveness.
Increased health of the Shredder’s head to prevent cases where its head could be shot off, leading to unintended behavior.
Improved Shredder navigation to reduce getting stuck on corners, narrow spaces, and short obstacles.
Increased the speed at which the Shredder enters combat when taking damage and when in close proximity to players.
Increased the number of parts on the Shredder that can be individually destroyed.
Content and Bug Fixes
Achievements
Achievements are now enabled in the Epic store.
Animation
Fixed an issue where picking up a Field Crate with a Trigger ’Nade attached could cause the character to slide or move without input.
Fixed an issue where combining Snap Hook with ziplines or ladders could store momentum and propel the player long distances.
Fixed an issue where the running animation could appear incorrect after a small drop when over-encumbered.
Fixed interaction animations: interactions now end correctly when performing a dodge roll; interacting while holding items or deployables no longer causes arm twisting; updated crouch repair to use the correct animation.
Added physical based secondary movement to character skins and equipment.
ARC
Fixed an issue where deployables attached to enemies could cause them to launch or clip out of bounds when shot.
Missiles no longer reverse course after passing a target and can correctly track targets at different elevations.
Sentinel
Fixed a bug where the Sentinel laser did not reach the targeted player over greater distances.
Surveyor
Disabled vaulting onto ARC Surveyors to prevent unintended launches when they are moving.
Fixed an issue where Bombardier projectiles could shoot through the Matriarch shield from the outside.
Audio
Fixed an issue where Gas, Stun, and Impulse Mines did not play their trigger sound or switch their light to yellow when triggered by being shot.
Increased the number of simultaneous footstep sounds and increased their priority.
Fixed an issue where footsteps in metal stairs became very quiet when walking slowly.
Improved directional sound for ARC enemies.
Added sounds for sending and receiving text chat messages in the main menu.
Removed the unsettling “mom?” from Speranza cantina ambient sound.
Tweaked the loudness of announcements in various Main Menu screens.
Number of small audio bugfixes and polish.
Maps
Fixed an issue with spawning logic which could cause players who were reconnecting at the start of a session to spawn next to other players who had just joined.
Various collision, geometry, VFX and texture fixes that address gaps in terrain which made players fall through the map or walk inside geometry, stuck spots, camera clipping through walls, see-through geometry, floating objects, texture overlaps, etc.
Fixed an issue with the slope of the Raider Hatch that was too steep for downed raiders to crawl on top of it.
Security Lockers are now dynamically spawned across all maps instead of being statically placed.
Fixed Raider Caches not spawning during Prospecting Probes in some cases.
Fixed lootable containers and Supply Drops spawning inside terrain on The Dam and Blue Gate, ensuring they are accessible.
Fixed an issue where doors could appear closed for some players despite being open.
Electromagnetic Storm: Lightning strikes sometimes leave behind a valuable item.
Increased the number of possible Great Mullein spawn locations across all maps.
Dam Battlegrounds
Moved the Matriarch’s spawn point in Dam Battlegrounds to an area that better plays to her strengths.
Spaceport
Adjusted the locked room protection area in Container Storage on Spaceport to not affect players outside the room.
Blue Gate
Locked Gate map condition has been added.
Adjusted map bounds near a ledge in Blue Gate to improve navigation and reduce abrupt out-of-bounds stops.
Improved tree LODs in Blue Gate to reduce overly dark visuals at distance.
Fixed the issue where loot would spawn outside the Locked Room in the Village.
Added props and visual cues to the final camp in the quest ‘A First Foothold’ to make objective locations easier to find.
Stella Montis
Increased some item and blueprint spawn rates in Stella Montis.
Some breachable containers on Stella Montis no longer drop Rubber Ducks when using the A Little Extra skill (sorry).
Adjusted window glass clarity in Stella Montis to improve visibility.
Miscellaneous
General crash fixes (including AMD crashes).
Added Skill Tree Reset functionality in exchange for Coins, 2,000 Coins per skill point.
Wallet now shows your Cred soft cap (800).
Dev note: We decided to implement a cap so that players won’t be able to fully unlock new Raider Decks by accumulating Cred and added more items to Shani’s store to purchase using Cred. We believe that the Raider Decks offer a rewarding experience to enjoy while players engage with the game, and a large Cred wallet undermines this goal. We will not be removing Cred that has been accumulated before the introduction of the soft cap.
Added Raider Tool customization.
Fixed a bug that caused players to spawn on servers without their gear and in default customization resulting in losing loadout items.
For ranks up to Daredevil I, leaderboards now have a 3x promotion zone for the top 5 players. New objectives have been added.
Fixed an issue where the tutorial door breach could be canceled, preventing the cutscene from playing and blocking progression.
Fixed an issue where players could continue breaching doors while downed.
Fixed an issue where accepting a Discord invite without having your account linked could fail to place you into the inviter’s party.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused textures and meshes to flicker between higher and lower quality states.
Depth of field amount is now scaled correctly depending on your resolution scale.
Fixed an issue where returning to the game after alt-tabbing could prevent movement and ability inputs while camera controls still worked.
Improved input handling when the game window regains focus to avoid unexpected input mode switches.
Skill Tree
Effortless Roll skill now provides greater stamina cost reduction.
The Calming Stroll skill now applies while moving in ADS.
Movement
Fixed a traversal issue that blocked jumping/climbing in certain areas while crouched.
Fixed an issue where climbing ladders over open gaps could cause automatic detachment.
A slight stamina cost has been added for entering a slide.
Acceleration has been reduced when doing a dodge roll from a slide.
UI
Added an option to toggle Aim Down Sights.
Added a new ‘Cinematic’ graphics setting to enhance visuals for high end PCs.
Fixed an issue where returning to the game after alt-tabbing could prevent movement and ability inputs while camera controls still worked.
Improved input handling when the game window regains focus to avoid unexpected input mode switches.
Codex
Improved accuracy of tracking damage dealt in player stats.
Field-crafted items now properly count toward Player Stats in the Codex.
Fixed missing sound in Codex Records.
Added a Codex section to rewatch previously seen videos.
Console
Updated PlayStation 5 controller button prompts with improved icons for Options and Share.
Fixed a crash when using Show Profile from the Player Info on Xbox.
Customization
You can now rotate your character in the customization screen. Also fixed an issue where the first equip could trigger an unintended unequip.
Added notifications in Character Customization to highlight recently unlocked items.
Fixed an issue where equipment customization items bought from the Loadout screen were not equipped after pressing Equip on the purchase screen.
End of round
Further reduced the frequency of the end of round feedback survey pop up.
Added an optional Round Feedback button on the final end-of-round screen to open a short post-match survey.
Expedition Project
Added a show/hide tooltip hint to the Raider Projects screens (Expedition and Seasonal).
Added ‘Expeditions Completed’ to Player Stats.
Added resource tracking for Expedition stages: Raider Projects now display required amounts and progress, with the tracker updating during rounds.
Added reward display to Raider Projects, showing the rewards for each goal and at Expedition completion.
Fixed an input conflict in Raider Projects where tracking a resource in Expeditions could also open the About Expeditions window; the on-screen prompt is now hidden while adding to Load Caravan.
Inventory
Fixed an issue where closing the right-click menu in the inventory could reset focus to a different slot when using a gamepad.
Fixed flickering in the inventory tooltip.
Opening the inventory during a breach now cancels the interaction to prevent a brief animation glitch.
Adjusted the inventory screen layout to prevent tooltips from appearing immediately upon opening.
Fixed an issue where the weapon slot right-click menu in the inventory would not appear after navigating from an empty attachment slot with a controller.
In-game
Fixed an issue where the climb prompt would not appear on a rooftop ladder in Blue Gate.
Resolved an issue where certain interaction icons could fail to appear during gameplay.
Fixed “revived” events not being counted.
Fixed an issue where the zipline interaction prompt could remain on a previously used zipline, preventing interaction with a new one; prompts now clear when out of range.
Quick equip item wheel now has a stable layout and no longer collapses items towards the top when there are empty slots in the inventory.
Updated in-game text across multiple languages based on localization review and player survey feedback.
Added a cancel prompt when preparing to throw grenades and other throwable items.
Fixed in-game input hints to match your current key bindings and show clear hold/toggle labels. Clarified binoculars hints when using aim toggle and updated hints for SnapHook and integrated binoculars to support aiming.
Tutorial hints now stay on screen briefly after you perform the suggested action to improve readability and avoid abrupt dismissals.
Fixed an issue where input hints could remain on screen after being downed.
HUD markers that are closer to the player now appear on top for improved legibility.
Fixed issue where items sometimes displayed the wrong icon.
Fixed issue where user hints were sometimes shown when spectating.
Strongroom racks and power stations now display a distinct color when full of carryables to indicate that it has been completed. Example: Ancient Fort Strongroom.
Fixed an issue where reconnecting to a match could leave your character in a broken state with incorrect HUD elements and a misplaced camera.
Slightly delayed the initial loot screen opening and the transition from opening to searching during interactions.
Main Menu
Added a Live Events carousel to the main menu and enabled click/hover interactions on the Raider Project overview.
Fixed an issue where the Weapon Upgrades tab would sometimes change location.
Resolved an issue where a Raider could pop in and out of the home screen background.
Installed workstations no longer appear in the workstation install view.
You can now navigate from on-screen notifications to the relevant screens, including jumping directly to learned recipes.
The Upgrade Weapon Tab now accurately displays the magazine size increase.
Fixed an issue where the map screen could become unresponsive when a live event was active.
When inspecting items, rotating will now hide UI only showing the item being inspected.
Free Raider Deck content now displays as “Free” instead of “0”.
Added a carousel to the Main Menu featuring Quests and a Raider Deck shortcut, with improved gamepad navigation within the widget.
Fixed an issue where the Scrappy screen allowed navigating to the quick navigation list when using a gamepad.
Quests
Made pickups on the ground show icons if they are part of quests or tracked, added quest icons to quest interactions and improved quest interaction style.
Fixed an issue where the notification could remain after accepting and claiming quests.
Accepting and completing quests is now shown as loading while awaiting a server response.
Fixed an issue where rapidly skipping through quest videos after completing the first Supply Depot quest could soft‑lock the UI, leaving the screen without a way to advance.
Updated interaction text for a quest objective to improve clarity.
Updated the names and descriptions of the Moisture Probe and EC Meter quest items in Unexpected Initiative.
Improved ping information for quest objectives, with clearer markers for Filtration System and Magnetic Decryptor interactions.
Adjusted colors of quest and tracking icons in in-game interaction hints for better clarity.
Settings
Added a new slider that allows players to tweak motion blur intensity.
Updated tooltips for effects and overall quality levels in the video settings with clearer descriptions.
Added labels that show whether an input action is ‘Hold’ or ‘Toggle’, displayed in parentheses.
Fixed an issue where the flash effect ignored the Invert Colors setting; the option is now available.
Fixed a crash in settings when rapidly adjusting sliders.
Now players will be guided to Windows settings for microphone permissions if needed.
Fixed a crash that could occur when opening the video settings.
Fixed an issue where some Options category screens continued responding to inputs after exiting.
Store
Players will no longer see error messages when canceling purchases in the store.
Newly added store products now show a new indication for improved discoverability.
Social
Fixed an issue where Discord friends could appear with an incorrect status after switching to Invisible and back to Online; their presence now refreshes correctly when they come back online.
Added a Party Join icon to the social interface for clearer party invitations and joins.
Fixed an issue where the Social right-click (context) menu could remain visible in the Home tab after rapidly opening and closing it with a gamepad; it now closes correctly and no longer stacks.
Tooltips
Fixed incorrect item tooltips of ARC stun duration.
Tooltips now reposition to remain fully visible at all resolutions.
Fixed tooltips showing ‘Blueprint already learned’ on completed goal rewards; tooltips now display correct reward information and only show ‘Blueprint learned’ for actual blueprints.
Trials
Trials objectives now clearly indicate when they offer bonus conditions, such as by Map Conditions.
Fixed an issue where the Trial rank icon could be missing on the Player Stats screen after starting the game.
Added a Trials popup that explains how ranking works and clarifies that the final rank is worldwide.
VOIP
Added Microphone Test functionality.
Added better automatic checks for problems with VOIP input & output devices.
Using the mouse thumb button for push-to-talk no longer triggers ‘Back’ in menus.
Fixed an issue where the voice chat status icon could incorrectly appear muted for party members at match start until someone spoke.
HUD no longer shows VOIP icons when voice chat is disabled; your own party VOIP icon now appears as disabled.
Utility
Increased loot value in Epic key card rooms to better reflect their rarity.
Expanded blueprint spawn locations to improve availability in areas that were underrepresented.
Moved the Aphelion blueprint drop from the Matriarch to Stella Montis.
Fixed a bug where players would sometimes become unable to perform any actions if they interacted with carriable objects while experiencing bad network conditions or were downed while holding a carriable object and then revived.
Fixed an issue where Deadline could deal damage through walls.
Fixed an issue where deployables attached to enemies or buildable structures could cause sudden launches or let enemies pass through the environment when shot.
Keys will no longer be removed from the safe pocket when using the Unload backpack.
Fixed an issue where cheater-compensation rewards could grant an integrated augment item.
Fixed bug where Flame Spray dealt too much damage to some ARC.
Fixed an issue where sticky throwables (Trigger ‘Nade, Snap Blast Grenade, Lure Grenade) disappeared when thrown at trees.
Fixed a bug with incorrectly calculated deployment range for deployable items.
Fixed an issue where mines could not be triggered through damage before they were armed.
Playing an instrument now applies the ‘Vibing Status’ effect to nearby players.
Fix for Rubber Ducks not being able to be placed into the Trinket slot on an Augment.
Setting integrated binoculars and integrated shield charger weight to be 0.
Weapons
Tuned the amount of force applied to lighter ARC when using melee attacks.
Fixed an issue where stowed weapons would not appear on the first spawn.
Fixed an exploit allowing players to reload energy weapons without consuming ammo.
Aiming-down-sights now resumes if it was interrupted while the aim button is still held (e.g., after reloading or a stun).
Fixed an exploit that allowed shotguns to bypass the intended fire cooldown.
Quests
Fixed a bug in the ‘Greasing Her Palms’ quest that let players accidentally trigger an objective.
Made the quest item ESR Analyzer easier to find in Buried City.
Improved clarity of clues for the ‘Marked for Death’ quest.
Fixed an issue where quest videos could trigger multiple times.
Added interactions to find spare keys to several quests related to locked rooms.
Added unique quest items to the ‘Unexpected Initiative’ quest.
Fixed an issue where squad sharing incorrectly completed objectives that spawned quest specific items.
Known Issues
Players with AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT will see a driver warning popup at startup despite being on the latest version that fixes a GPU crash that occurred when loading into The Blue Gate.
If you have more items than fit in your stash, the value of the items that don’t fit is not included in the final departure screen, but is included when calculating your rewards.
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.
Teased for 2026, Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow promises new areas, bosses, and tools as “Hornet’s adventures continue in our nautically themed expansion, coming free for all players next year.”
Further details are expected shortly before its launch, with no specific date given. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Silksong’s initial release date wasn’t announced until just a month before it dropped after one of gaming’s most infamous drawn out affairs.
Alongside the announcement of the DLC, Team Cherry also revealed that a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the original Hollow Knight is in development. This improved version incorporates “all the updates and enhancements that Silksong received on the platform: high frame-rate modes, higher resolutions, and many additional graphical effects.”
The even better news? If you already own Hollow Knight on Switch, you’ll be able to upgrade to this new gen version for free.
The Australian studio will also be updating all current versions of the original Metroidvania soulslike and adding features and bug fixes. If you’re playing on PC, some of those changes have already come into effect.
“PC players can experience many of those updates right now, via the public-beta branches on Steam and GOG, where they’ve just gone live,” a Team Cherry blog post states. “That includes full 16:10 and 21:9 aspect ratio support for those of you with Steam Decks or ultrawide monitors.”
As part of the DLC announcement, Team Cherry said Hollow Knight: silksong had sold more than 7 million copies since going on sale in September, and had millions more playing on Xbox Game Pass.
“It’s a truly staggering number of players, more than we could have ever expected (enough to crash all of the storefronts!),” Team Cherry said. “Watching the community grow, seeing the amazing art, the mods, the unexpected strategies, and the support between players through the game’s challenges has been hugely rewarding for us here at home. Your continued enthusiasm remains a massive motivator as we work towards expanding the game even further.”
Now seems like as good a time as any to get into both Hollow Knight games, then. IGN’s Hollow Knight review returned a 9.4. We said: “Hollow Knight’s rich world and incredible depth of content will make you want to explore its caves for dozens of hours.”
Similarly, IGN’s Hollow Knight: Silksong review scored the game 9/10. We said: “Hollow Knight: Silksong is packed full of sharp platforming, enticing exploration, and nail-biting combat that’s all unapologetically challenging in just the right way.”
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
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.
