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Pokémon Go Leak Reveals XP and Level Up Tasks Needed for Game’s New Level 80 Cap — And Some Fans Are Saying it’s Too Easy

Pokémon Go’s new level cap requirements have leaked, and some fans say the fresh XP total required, as well as the some of the extra tasks involved, are too easy.

This week, Pokémon Go will raise its current level 50 cap for the first time in five years, and allow players to reach level 80 for the first time. But this change will come alongside an overall rebalancing of XP — meaning many players will find themselves transported to a much higher level, and potentially far beyond the XP needed to instantly hit level 80.

Of course, players won’t simply log on and find themselves at the finish line. As is the case currently, a fresh set of additional tasks will need to be completed to progress through the game’s final tier of levels (from 70 to 80, replacing similar tasks required to move from 40 to 50). But even these — which have been datamined by fans — have been dubbed as rather straightforward.

Last night, a post on the official Pokémon Go blog listed out the new XP requirements needed after the game’s level cap increases tomorrow, October 15.

Pokémon Go rebalanced XP requirements:

  • Level 10: 48,000 total XP
  • Level 20: 258,000 total XP
  • Level 30: 1,083,000 total XP
  • Level 40: 3,953,000 total XP
  • Level 50: 12,753,000 total XP
  • Level 60: 34,353,000 total XP
  • Level 70: 85,853,000 total XP
  • Level 80: 203,353,000 total XP

It’s interesting to compare these fresh totals with the amounts of XP needed to hit the game’s level 50 cap now. Currently, hitting level 50 requires a lifetime total of 176 million XP. (This week, following the game’s rebalance, level 50 will require just 12.75 million XP.) This means the new level 80 cap requires just 27 million more XP than the current level 50.

While it’s been clear for a while that Pokémon Go’s new level cap will come alongside an overall smoothing of the game’s overall XP requirements, hardcore fans have still been surprised to discover that many of them will once again be in Pokémon Go’s new endgame, with little to no actual XP grinding required.

Moving on to those level up tasks, fans examining a datamined list of what will be needed have judged the requirements as rather straightforward. Each level requires players hold an increasing number of platinum in-game medals, though these can be earned in a way that reflects your playstyle. Some will take time — Purifying 100 Shadow Pokémon — but with planning there’s nothing here which should hold up hardcore players for too long.

Indeed, there is also palpable relief among fans at the lack of any artificial timegating here — such as requiring a Pokémon be caught on 30 days, holding progress back a month — something which has been found in other challenges previously.

Pokémon Go Level 71-80 level up tasks

  • Level 71
    Earn 15 platinum medals
    Power up Legendary or Mythical Pokémon 20 times
    Make 999 Nice Throws
    Catch 100 Pokémon in a single day
  • Level 72
    Earn 20 platinum medals
    Complete a Route 7 days in a row
    Use 200 supereffective Charged Attacks
    Earn 1,000,000 Stardust
  • Level 73
    Earn 25 platinum medals
    Purify 100 Shadow Pokémon
    Power up 3 Pokémon to their max CP
    Win 30 Raids
  • Level 74
    Earn 30 platinum medals
    Level up a Max Move 20 times
    Explore 200 km
    Complete 250 Field Research tasks
  • Level 75
    Earn 34 platinum medals
    Make 999 Great Throws
    Hatch 75 Eggs
    Send 500 Gifts to friends
  • Level 76
    Earn 38 platinum medals
    Defeat 100 Team GO Rocket Grunts
    Explore 300 km
    Catch 200 Pokémon in a single day
  • Level 77
    Earn 41 platinum medals
    Win 100 Max Battles
    Power up 7 Pokémon to their max CP
    Make 10 trades with Pokémon caught at least 300 km apart
  • Level 78
    Earn 44 platinum medals
    Earn 400 hearts with your buddy
    Explore 400 km
    Complete 500 Field Research tasks
  • Level 79
    Earn 47 platinum medals
    Defeat a Team GO Rocket Leader 30 times
    Obtain 50 Lucky Pokémon in trades
    Hatch 100 Eggs
  • Level 80
    Earn 50 platinum medals
    Win 80 Trainer Battles in the GO Battle League
    Make 999 Excellent Throws
    Win 80 Raids

With these tasks, and with Pokémon Go’s new XP rebalance, it feels clear that the game is adjusting itself for newer players, and leveling the playing field somewhat so there’s a chance for newcomers to catch up with those who have been playing for almost a decade. As the game approaches its 10-year anniversary next year, its developers will likely want to ensure Pokémon Go continues to welcome fresh blood to its userbase, without giving them too steep an XP mountain to climb. But some veterans are less impressed.

“These are all so easy,” wrote Old_Indication_4379 on top Pokémon Go fan reddit TheSilphRoad.

“I’m disappointed beyond disappointment,” added another fan, avaible17. “I’m sitting at 352M xp and I doubt that it is very impressive number for most of the old players. I hoped for a challenge and motivation to play, I’ve got easy and repetitive tasks, that most of them can be done in a day (except walking ofc).

“I was hoping for introduction of new type of medals, that would make my grind beyond capabilities of human flesh,” they continued. “Now I’m writing this and thinking, that they just make it easier for beginners, not more challenging for old dogs.”

Fresh incentives to climbing levels will include permanent boosts to Pokémon, inventory and gift storage, and an improved chance at gaining Lucky Friends status when players are level 70 and above. Finally, and most mysteriously, there’s a new 1km Daily Adventure Incubator for players over level 15. Alongside the game’s current Daily Adventure Incense item, which rewards players with extra spawns for 15 minutes, this is designed to reward players who walk at least 1km per day.

Exactly which Pokémon the Daily Adventure Incubator will hatch, however, remains unknown — though fans are already speculating that the mechanic will eventually include an ultra-rare Pokémon (Manaphy and Phione seem a good bet!) similar to how the Daily Adventure Incense has a rare chance at spawning a Galar Legendary bird.

Overnight, Pokémon Go’s development team fixed yesterday’s major bug which bricked the game for anyone who completed its first Weekly Challenge. A message posted on the Niantic Support social media account last night offered a smattering of XP and Stardust as an apology to impacted players, though did not state whether the Weeky Challenge feature would return next week.

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

Skrilla Claims Viral Hit ‘Doot Doot (6 7)’ Is in GTA 6: ‘I’m Going to Be My Own Person on There, Playing My Own Music’

Rapper Skrilla says his viral hit Doot Doot (6 7) is in Grand Theft Auto 6.

The soundtrack and radio listings in GTA games have long been something of a cultural phenomenon, boosting plenty of musical careers. In this instance, however, the song in question is already a mega hit that has inspired a global meme.

Skrilla’s 6 7 blew up earlier this year on TikTok and Instagram. It’s a slang term referring to gun violence but became popular when it began appearing in clips about basketball players like LaMelo Ball, who is 6ft 7 inches tall. It then went viral when a boy known as the 67 Kid used it in a meme, and now kids the world over are saying it.

Talking about the game on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, Skrilla told the hosts (thanks, Dexerto): “I’m waiting for GTA 6 to come out… 6 7 is on there, too. Yeah, 6 7 is on there. I’m going to be my own person on there, playing my own music.”

Rockstar has yet to announce any songs appearing in GTA 6, and it no-doubt won’t until its good and ready. But Skrilla, at least, sounds convinced 6 7 is in there, and you’d like to think he’d know.

This isn’t the first time GTA 6 song talk has hit the internet. In July, Travis Scott’s music video for ‘2000 Excursion’ set tongues wagging after fans spotted what looked like a reference to GTA 6. That sparked speculation that that Travis Scott was set to appear in GTA 6 in some way, either with his own radio station (as celebs have done in previous GTA games) or as a character we see in the game.

Meanwhile, Faheem Rashad Najm, better-known as singer-songwriter T-Pain, confirmed that he’s contributing to GTA 6 (in the course of bringing T-Pain aboard, it seems that Rockstar requested he stop role-playing on NoPixel, a popular GTA 5 role-play server that runs on third-party servers).

We do, of course, know at least one band that won’t be appearing in the game. A founding member of British synth-pop band Heaven 17 alleged Rockstar offered the three writers of hit song Temptation $7,500 each for its use in Grand Theft Auto 6 — a figure that was flat out rejected. Founding member Martyn Ware tweeted to tell Rockstar to “go f*** yourself” after allegedly receiving what he called an “extremely low” offer to use 80s classic Temptation in GTA 6.

Development of GTA 6 began “in earnest” in 2020 following the success of Red Dead Redemption 2. It was originally slated to release in 2025, but suffered a high-profile delay from fall 2025 to May 26, 2026. Rockstar Games co-founder and writer of almost all the Grand Theft Auto games released to date, Dan Houser, has confirmed that he had no involvement in GTA 6, but insisted the game’s story will be “great,” even though it’s “not going to be a story I wrote or a character set that I developed.”

The release of GTA 6 Trailer 2 and Rockstar’s accompanying info-dump has sparked all sorts of speculation about what to expect from what is sure to be the biggest video game of all time. While we wait to find out, we’ve got plenty more on GTA 6, including all the details we’ve discovered so far, a roundup of 70 brand new screenshots, and the expert opinion on how GTA 6 will look on PS5 Pro. As for how much will Grand Theft Auto 6 cost? Amid the speculation, new research has suggested that a $100 price point would actually earn Rockstar less money than if went for the “sweet spot” of $70.

Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 1.0.28891 Is Heavy on the Fixes, Light on the Balance Changes

Post-launch support for Hollow Knight: Silksong continues, this time with patch version 1.0.28891 out now.

The update makes a number of improvements and fixes, and some light balance changes. The game now pauses when the controller disconnects, which is an important safety net for such an intense game. Indeed, there are controller support improvements across the board.

On the balance side of things, there’s a slight increase to Sharp Dart and Cross Stitch damage, updated damage scaling on Rune Rage to match other Silk Skills, and a slight decrease to Thread Storm damage at higher needle levels. It’s also worth noting that the patch changes Fine Pins wish drops from 50% chance to 100%, but raises the required quantity.

Developer Team Cherry had signalled its first priority remains to improve Silksong’s Simplified Chinese translation. This was in response to high-profile criticism of the translation, which had led to Chinese players leaving negative Steam reviews. These improvements are expected in the coming weeks.

Silksong remains one of the most-played games on Steam following its huge September 4 release. Here are some essential guides for your journey upwards: the Silksong Interactive Map, how to grind for Rosary Beads, our ever-expanding Walkthrough with boss videos and guides, how to get your first life bar upgrade (first four mask shards), and a great guide to the Simple Keys and the doors they open.

The patch notes, courtesy of Steam, are below.

Hollow Knight: Silksong update 1.0.28891 patch notes:

  • Added support for Dualsense Edge controllers.
  • Improved support for various controllers on Mac.
  • Game now pauses when the controller disconnects.
  • Fixed various smaller controller issues (more fixes to come in future).
  • Fixed remaining instance of certain players getting stuck cursed while in the late game.
  • Fixed Curveclaw not reacting to Hunter down-stab.
  • Fixed rare instances of being able to air dash and double jump when not intended.
  • Fixed several out of bounds situations.
  • Fixed Pharlid Divers sometimes sliding on roofs after ambushing in certain scenes.
  • Fixed Eva Hunter Crest upgrades unintentionally clearing tool equips.
  • Fixed rare instances of Harpoon sometimes granting 2 Silk instead of 1.
  • Fixed Cogflies sometimes appearing from odd locations after scene transition and, in rare cases, having their active quantity reduced by 1.
  • Fixed Crafting Kits not increasing the damage of offensive blue tools (eg Sawtooth Circlet).
  • Slight increase to Sharp Dart and Cross Stitch damage.
  • Updated damage scaling on Rune Rage to match other Silk Skills.
  • Slight decrease to Thread Storm damage at higher needle levels.
  • Fixed Surgeon enemies sometimes pulling the hero out of bounds.
  • Fixed instances of some Spool Fragments being permanently missable if a player immediately quit after collecting the item.
  • Fixed Crust King Khann sometimes falling out of bounds during entry, when fought on low-end systems.
  • Fixed rare instance of Second Sentinel becoming rotated when defeated.
  • Fixed additional case of Seth sometimes getting out of bounds and not returning.
  • Fixed Seth sometimes remaining invincible for a moment at the start of a refight.
  • Fixed Vaults slide blocks incorrectly responding to damage sources other than the needle.
  • Changed Fine Pins wish drops from 50% chance to 100%, but raised required quantity.
  • Fixed issues when consuming a Silkeater while in water.
  • Fixed Scuttlebrace sometimes allowing a wall jump when not intended.
  • Fixed a soft-lock during the Grand Gate opening sequence, if the Citadel had been visited and some bellshrines remained inactive.
  • Various smaller fixes and tweaks.

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.

Tons of Popular Jigsaw Puzzles Are Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off at Amazon Today

Amazon is having another one of its “Buy 2 Get 1 50% Off” sales and it is absolutely filled to the brim with puzzles this time around. There are hundreds of options included in this sale from some of the best puzzle brands out there. If you’re on the hunt for your next puzzle, or are just looking to grab a nice gift for the puzzler in your life, this promotion makes it a great time to save some money.

To take advantage of the promotion, you’ll just need to add two eligible jigsaw puzzles to your Amazon cart and the 50% discount will be applied to whichever one is the least expensive. And since it isn’t just puzzles included (there are board games as well), you can also mix and match with other items to still get that discount. I’ve gathered some of my top picks from this sale below, but there’s a ton of other options available if you want to browse the sale yourself.

Jigsaw Puzzle Sale on Amazon Today

Like I mentioned above, there are a ton of puzzles included in this sale. I couldn’t possibly include them all, so I’ve only highlighted a few top picks that I think best represent what is included here. There’s a fairly wide variety of piece counts, from 300 to 3000, but I mostly stuck to 1000-piece puzzles here as they are the most popular whenever I’ve covered a puzzle sale.

If you are looking for some suggestions for what to buy, the Spider-Verse puzzle from Buffalo games has been on our list of the best puzzles for adults for over a year now. It’s got a ton of different Spideys and is consistently one of the most popular marvel puzzles out there. There’s also the Disney & Pixar Shop puzzle from Ravensburger that offers something similar for fans of Disney instead of Marvel. There’s a bunch of characters and easter eggs hidden in each one.

I’d also recommend checking out The Drippy Trip puzzle. It’s the latest puzzle made by The Magic Puzzle Company and actually features a few fun secrets from the popular cartoon Adventure Time. If you aren’t familiar with Magic Puzzle Company Puzzles, they are a mix between jigsaw puzzle and magic kit and are generally very popular with families. There have been five different series of these types of puzzles and Amazon has a bunch of them featured in this sale right now.

Board Games Are Also Included

Amazon’s buy 1, get 1 50% off sale also extends to board games. So if you want to purchase a puzzle and a board game you can still get that 50% off. There are a surprising number of board games included in the sale and you can mix and match to your heart’s desire. There’s even some crossover between IP so you can purchase a Lord of the Rings puzzle and a Lord of the Rings board game all at once if you want.

Amazon’s Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off Board Game Sale Is Back

Amazon’s October Prime Day has ended, but the online retailer is already offering a new “Buy 2, Get 1 50% Off” sale this week. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in here, from classic family games to modern party games. If you’ve been hoping to add some more board games to your tabletop collection, right now is a great time to do so.

The sale itself is fairly straightforward: Amazon has a big list of items that are included in the promotion and all you need to do is add two in your cart and the 50% discount will be applied to whatever the cheaper one is. That means if you want to take full advantage of the savings, you’ll want to buy two similarly priced items. I’ve gathered some of the best options in the sale here, which are based off of IGN’s own board game reviews and recommendations.

Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off Board Games

The amount of options to choose from in this sale is truly staggering, and it’s difficult to choose only a few recommendations to highlight. Are you looking for intriguing murder mystery games to play during a Halloween party? Do you need a fun family board game you can break out on weekends? Are you hoping to find a great strategy game that will take all night to play? There are tabletop options for all of those scenarios right here.

For those working with a smaller budget, I’d recommend checking out Flip 7. We reviewed it earlier this year and absolutely loved it. It’s a fairly easy push-you-luck card game that can be played in under 20 minutes. At only $8, it’s already cheap, and this promotion will end up dropping that price down to just $4 when you buy something else (that’s at least $8) with it. All-in-all, it’s an easy recommendation to make for anyone who just wants a fun game that has a shallow learning curve.

If you’re looking for something a bit heartier that’s still family friendly, Ticket to Ride – both the original U.S. and some of the European versions – is also included here. This game is a modern classic that does a great job of combining simple gameplay with stimulating turn-based strategy.

Once you find a game you like, the next step is picking out a good second option to take full advantage of the discount. I’d recommend browsing through some of the classic board games here that are essential for any collection, stuff like Clue, Catan, Sorry!, and multiple versions of Monopoly. If you don’t already have those, now is a great time to pick one or more up for a substantial discount.

Battlefield 6 Players are Using the Repair Tool to Beg for Revives, But Medics Say Saving Downed Players Isn’t as Easy as It Looks

Medics have found themselves fighting their own war in Battlefield 6 as desperate players take to using the repair tool to leave messages begging for revives.

EA and Battlefield Studios opened the floodgates when Battlefield 6 launched last week, October 10, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. As more than 740,000 players gathered to play on Steam alone, a new discussion about in-game classes has bubbled to the top with one question: are medics doing their job?

The Support class no doubt plays an important role in any Battlefield 6 multiplayer match. While Assault, Engineer, and Recon classes, too, bring important tools and skills to a fight, it’s only the Support class that can get downed soldiers back on their feet at lightning speed.

Squad mates of any class are free to revive each other with or without the medic tools in Support, though they are locked only to reviving players in their squad and take much longer to pick them up. Support players do not have these squad limitations and can instantly revive a soldier with things like defibrillators.

With dozens of teammates in every Battlefield 6 match, there’s always plenty of players looking to be revived, and as buildings are often crumbling down around them, the chances of being picked up aren’t always too likely. Heightening the stress on both ends are measurements for downed players showing how far away the nearest group of medics is. When JohnBattlefield2000 opts not to revive you at just five meters away, things tend to get a bit heated.

Some have already begun using the repair tool, a gadget wielded by engineers to repair vehicles (and draw on walls) in Battlefield for years, to leave messages for Support medics who neglect their fallen comrades. One popular post from Reddit user dobrewski77 contains a not-so-nice plea, asking others to “remember to revive your teammates.” It’s fair to want to get back into the fight, but those who favor Support say it’s not that easy to pull off a successful save.

“Stop hitting redeploy and you’ll be revived,” one person replied in an X/Twitter post. “I wish people would ask where is the Medic instead of insta skipping the revive,” another Reddit comment added.

Reddit user beningham94 also posted their own repair tool message during the weekend. Instead of calling out medics in the Support class, they chose to show their team a different message instead.

True 💔
byu/beningham94 inBattlefield6

Battlefield 6 launched just days ago and has already spawned different talking points across the community. These include an in-game pop-up window that tells players it’s OK to uninstall the campaign, as well as a Portal mode creation that serves as a remake of Call of Duty’s Shipment map.

For more, you can check out our Battlefield 6 multiplayer review in progress as well as our 5/10 campaign review. While Support players and downed teammates argue over who should do what on the battlefield, you can see some of the memes that everyone in the middle has come to love, below.

the most majestic revive!
byu/rick_e_coyote inBattlefield

💔💔💔💔
byu/No_Pie465 inBattlefield

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition Humble Bundle Announced with Train Sim World 6, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, and More

In celebration of IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition, Humble Bundle is releasing a special bundle that, for at least $25, will get you a collection of 8 games and DLC worth $293, including Train Sim World 6, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, and TerraTech.

In addition, your purchase will go a long way in supporting Code for America, a civic tech nonprofit that partners with the U.S. government to build digital tools, change policies, and improve programs.

The IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition Humble Bundle is available right here and will be available for purchase until tktktk. This is just one of the many ways we are celebrating IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition, which streams live on October 15 at 9am PT/12pm ET and will feature dozens of exclusive game trailers, interviews with celebrities, and exclusive clips and reveals across games, TV, and more. This includes Predator: Badlands, Netflix’s The Witcher, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, IT: Welcome to Derry, The Outer Worlds 2, and much more.

OK, back to the bundle. It can once again can be fully unlocked by donating at least $25 and it includes the following;

As you can see in the list above, donating at least a certain amount will allow you to add these games to your gaming library, i.e. donating $10 will get you the bottom three games, $15 will get you the bottom six games, and $25 will get you everything.

Now, let’s get into the games themselves.

Train Sim World 6 was actually just released on September 30 and allows you to navigate and manage different routes across the world. Included in this bundle is the base game and four DLC routes that will give you even more ways to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of trains.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the first classic RPG set in the 41st millennium and it casts you as a Rogue Trader, a “scion of an ancient dynasty of daring privateers that reign over their trade empire and explore the fringes of the Imperium’s frontier.” Read our review here.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake was released in 2023 and is actually the prequel to the upcoming game, SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide. This first game follows a tale of what happens when a mysterious fortunre teller grants SpongeBob and Patrick their wishes, which causes portals to strange Wishworlds to pop up. Read our review here.

Wandering Sword is a martial arts RPG that features gorgeous 3D pixel art and stars a swordsman who is caught up in a feud that leads him to become a master at martial arts.

Koira had us sold by tasking us with protecting an adorable puppy, and it also features a musical adventure that’s hand-drawn and sends you deep into a magical forest.

To get ready for Invincible VS, this bundle will allow you to jump into Invincible Presents: Atom Eve, where you will play as one of the most powerful superheroes in the Invincible universe and will need to unravel a mystery while also dealing with the challenges of everyday life.

TerraTech is an open-world sandbox adventure and vehicular combat game that puts its focus on design, crafting and discovery, making it perfect for those with a big imagination.

Last by certainly not least, Predator: Hunting Grounds rounds out the IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition bundle and lets you bring up to four friends with you to not only play as an elite military fireteam, but to also become the Predator yourself and hunt down those who dare oppose you. Oh, and it may just help you get hyped for Predator: Badlands! Read our review here.

Humble Bundle is part of IGN Entertainment, the division of Ziff Davis that includes GamesIndustry.biz, IGN, and MapGenie.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

12 Free Demos for indie.io Games Available Now as Part of Steam Next Fest Party

The latest Steam Next Fest began this week, showcasing a wide range of upcoming titles. And as has become a trend, publishing platform indie.io has several titles featured. To celebrate, it has launched a campaign called Next Fest Party that will run from October 13–20 and includes free demos for 12 different games.

The games come from a variety of different developers in a variety of different genres, so we figured we’d give you a rundown of everything that’s available. Below you’ll find brief descriptions of each game, with each title linked to its free demos so you can try them for yourself.

Monsters and Me

This 2D top-down roguelite shooter is chaotic, silly, and a bit gross (well, as gross as a 2D game can be). Your city has been overrun with slime mutants who have one goal in mind: ripping your face off. The natural reaction should be to prevent that, so you’ll need to upgrade your weapons and special abilities to fend off the horde. The demo drops you into the game’s first level, and you just need to survive as long as you can. Simple, right?

Kriophobia

Kriophobia also challenges you to survive, but in a VERY different way. You play as Anna, a geophysicist who’s trapped in a frozen Soviet bunker … and something else is down there with you. This is classic psychological horror, perfect for spooky season and for players who don’t want their hands held. Combat is tense and difficult, to the point it’s sometimes best avoided altogether. The demo is a standalone section of the game’s second chapter, where you’ll have to contend with the cold, mysterious abominations, and Anna’s traumatic past.

Plagun

This pixel shooter is a bullet-hell roguelike set in a post-apocalyptic kingdom where an attempted cure for death resulted in an all-consuming plague instead. You were a doctor before this event, but now you must use cursed masks and plague-infused weapons to deal with escalating waves of enemies. The demo is a vertical slice that will give you a sense of the game’s fast pace and let you experiment with different cursed masks and power-ups.

Dwarf Delve

It’s time to pick up your Battlemallet, go delving into mines, and try to safely make it out with as many riches as you can in this first-person extraction roguelite. The mines are randomly generated, so no two trips are the same. You’ll need to craft items like support beams and ladders to traverse dangerous areas, as well as utilize lanterns and floodlights to see in the darkness. Once you’ve grabbed your loot, you’ll need to be wary of traps and other dangers on your way back to safety.

Heistfest

Do you like stealing stuff and then causing untold destruction throughout the city as you try to make your escape while an escalating police force chases you? Well, great news. That’s the premise of the aptly named Heistfest. You’ll speed your way through hand-drawn environments, and things will get more intense the longer you evade capture. And if you think that means just adding some more cop cars and maybe some guns, think again. You’ll have to deal with spike traps, helicopters, paratroopers, tanks, and full-on airstrikes. Chaos and fun are more important than realism anyway. The demo is a vertical slice that gives you a sense of the core gameplay loop: rob a bank, spark a police chase, and see how long you can survive as public enemy #1.

Locked in My Darkness 2: The Room

It’s Halloween time, so of course there can’t just be one scary game on this list. This one is a psychological horror walking sim focused on atmosphere, exploration, and puzzle solving. You play as Yuki Tachibana, a Japanese high school student who recently moved into a new apartment with her family. Something sinister awakens within the walls of their new home, warping reality and dredging up sins of the past. With flashlight in hand, you’ll uncover notes, solve environmental puzzles, and reveal the secrets of Yuki’s family.

Nullstar: Solus

You are Solus, a scavenger drone sent to salvage the nullstar from a dying world. But there’s only one goal that really matters in this game: be faster. You’ll need to master the flying mechanics, thrusters, and momentum to make it through levels as quickly as possible. Those levels are high-risk, high-reward, and you’ll need to stay on your toes to deal with everything they can throw at you.

Air Hares

You probably haven’t seen a bullet hell quite like this one. In Air Hares, your main goal isn’t shooting enemies out of the sky; it’s using your plane to seed and water crops to save the starving people of the barren Winrose Warren. But your feathered foes in the Gale Gang want to stop you, so you’ll need to dodge, jab, and ram them to send them packing and get back to your important work.

Binary Golf

Miniature golf gets a chaotic overhaul in Binary Golf, where you use your golf ball to eliminate targets until the final one becomes the hole you need to get your ball into. But this isn’t just any old mini golf course. You can jump over hazards, teleport across courses, and phase through objects to pull off trick shots. The demo includes the game’s first two episodes, which will teach you the ropes before pitting you against a boss to test what you’ve learned.

The Cascadier

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a roguelike deckbuilder collided with a magical coin-pusher machine, The Cascadier has your answer, and it’s gloriously chaotic.
Each run has you charging coins with elemental powers from your deck and dropping them into dazzling, pinball-like cabinets that erupt in chain reactions if you drop your coin just right. You’ll be guided by Fortuna, the trickster goddess of luck, and her envious brother Theodan as you chase divine rewards.

Each round starts with ten coins to drop and your deck of earned abilities. Like any good coin pusher, you’ll scoop up coins mid-round and play them back in to keep your score and ticket count climbing. Run out, and the round’s over, so make every toss count. Hit your score goal to move on, then choose new powersets to add to your growing deck and mix things up in the next run. You’ll spend your hard-earned tickets on upgrading Trinkets that grant new abilities and permanent boosts. The demo lets you try the first cabinet, a lush, nature-themed machine that hints at the elemental powers each new board will bring.

Elemental Brawl

A multiplayer party game, Elemental Brawl tasks you with beating up your friends with the power of the elements. Each round begins with everyone only being able to punch and kick, but as time goes on, random elemental orbs will drop. Collecting them grants you powers related to that element, and you can combine elements as the round continues. And the maps aren’t static, you can use your elements to burn them, freeze them, turn puddles into steam traps, and more. It’s all about coming up with creative ways to eliminate your opponents.

Chowdown Kitty

A puzzle game with simple yet addictive gameplay, Chowdown Kitty presents you with a board filled with cat treats. Connect matching treats in a string of three or more, and those treats get pulled out and put in a food bowl for a cat. The more treats you manage to string together, the higher your score gets and the happier the cat gets.

Crimson Desert: See a Mechanical Dragon Go Wild in New Quest Gameplay

October’s IGN First continues with even more gameplay from Crimson Desert. This time we’re taking a look at a main story quest, one which brings us face to face with one of the campaign’s most imposing foes: Golden Star, a colossal mechanical dragon.

So far, we’ve shown off a lot of combat. Crimson Desert is an open-world action game, of course, so naturally combat is key to the entire experience. You’ll see plenty more sword-slinging in the video above. But we also wanted to showcase a little more of the story and help contextualize where some of those… stranger elements come from.

But first, the basics. You play as Kliff, leader of the Greymanes free sword company. Not that he’s doing much leading right now. Crimson Desert’s prologue sees the Greymanes attacked by their sworn rivals, the Black Bears, and the assault leaves the company wounded and scattered (a bloody opening you can see in action here). Alone, Kliff sets out on a mission to seek out his lost allies, rebuild the Greymanes, and exact vengeance on the enemies who tore the company apart.

That mission takes Kliff on a journey across Pywel, a massive continent made up of numerous regions, including the titular Crimson Desert. As he explores, he learns of a number of powerful artefacts that grant immense power – a power that some are using to wreak destructive havoc rather than enact good deeds. Kliff takes it upon himself to get involved and finds himself falling down a rabbit hole that leads to a grander destiny.

In the quest we’re showcasing today, “Master of the Forgotten Lands”, Kliff has found himself wound up in the affairs of Marni, a scientific genius. Fans of Black Desert Online, developer Pearl Abyss’ previous game, may recognise the name Marni, and while Kliff’s new acquaintance is not the same character, they are somewhat mirror images of each other – both incredibly intelligent scientists who make the impossible possible via unorthodox methods. In Marni’s secret cliff base, you can see one of the origin points of Crimson Desert’s steampunk aesthetic. His array of strange devices suggest he’s much more advanced than Pywel’s wider Medieval-like society.

This quest takes Kliff on a journey along the Great Ocean of Pywel’s coast, up Mount Benus, and into Marni’s Masterium, where an army of unexpected foes await. And then, at the castle’s summit, Kliff must hold his own against the colossal Golden Star. Will he succeed? You’ll have to watch our brand new gameplay video to find out.

Stick with IGN throughout this month for even more from Crimson Desert. Later this week we’ll be revealing how Pearl Abyss created Golden Star, taking you behind the scenes to see how sound, vision, and gameplay mechanics combine to create a striking boss battle.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s Executive Editor of Features.

The 10 Most Valuable Spider-Man Magic Cards That Collectors Think Are Worth the Case

Marvel’s Spider-Man set for Magic: The Gathering has finally swung into stores (after its recent prerelease), and the unique combination of comic book icons and fun new play designs is making it pretty popular so far.

So popular, in fact, that one rare card has already sold for $10,000 (and is even now getting listings for over $30,000) while others are also making a strong case for collectors themselves, tallying in the hundreds for market value.

If you’re looking to hunt any of these rare cards down, your best bet is picking up a Collector Booster set from Amazon right now, but be prepared to pay around $480 for just 12 packs.

Otherwise, buying cards standalone is perfectly legit as well, especially for some of the less pricey picks from the latest Universes Beyond set. For now, these are the most expensive Spidey cards to look out for when cracking packs, courtesy of data from our friends at TCGPlayer.

10. Cosmic Spider-Man (Extended Art)

Keyword soup on a five-color card? We may not have got Commander decks for Marvel’s Spider-Man, but Comic Spider-Man makes a great argument to helm one.

He powers up every Spider you have, giving them the same keywords, and that applies to Spider heroes, too. So, if you want to build a Spider-Verse deck, this is the way to go.

9. Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin (Borderless)

Norman’s standard card is fairly good value as well at $12.95, but if you want the full borderless art, it’s not much more to pay standalone. Featuring some of the MTG x Spidey sets coolest art, I can see why Green Goblin is attracting some attention.

8. Gwenom, Remorseless (Extended Art)

Kicking off the list with a banger, Gwenom, Remorseless is a Venomized version of Gwen. It’s 4/4 with Deathtouch and lifelink, which lets you spend life to play extra cards from the top of your library.

It’s a neat idea, and one I’m curious to see players build around. The card was around $37 last month, but is now sitting at more steady $16-$20.

7. Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer (Extended Art)

An awesome card is a 5/5 that brings back a card from your graveyard, Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer can also power up as it takes damage.

You could, in theory, end up using him as a game-ending play if it takes enough damage from other players, or you could use him in a deck that’ll have your own creatures damage him to make him a juggernaut.

6. Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider (Borderless)

Sticking with Gwen, but a much less spooky version, this borderless card shows our heroine relaxing before flipping into action against Electro.

Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider (Borderless) is around $40 for the nonfoil and double that for the foil. Her 209 variant card is also one of the best sellers right now, and can be picked up for about $25.

5. Miles Morales/Ultimate Spider-Man (Borderless)

This version of Miles Morales is currently fetching close to $65, which is pretty spenny, but much less than it was demanding closer to release when it was sitting at $150 or more. Miles powers up others and then transforms into a camouflaging web-slinger with first strike and haste.

If you’re looking for something a little less expensive, he’s got another transforming Miles Morales card that was sitting at around $40 during release week, but you can expect to pay just over $14 for him these days, and that’s a bargain.

4. Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man (Borderless)

He had to show up eventually, right? This card looks like the iconic moment Peter Parker gets bit by a spider on one side, and his first appearance alongside Marvel’s Fantastic Four on the other.

It’s currently sitting at around $100, a significant drop from its recent highs of $200.

3. Eddie Brock/Venom, Lethal Protector (Borderless)

This Eddie Brock/Venom, Lethal Protector card is another one with a comic-book cover on the flipside, and the iconic antihero is fetching a mean price at $200.

As for gameplay, Venom lets you sacrifice cards to draw and play other spells, potentially shifting your board state pretty quickly.

2. Spectacular Spider-Man (Various)

The Spectacular Spider-Man cards from this set were bound to be popular, both because the card is great and its artwork is awesome, but if you have a textured foil one, you might be in for a windfall.

There are five to get, starting at around $850 for the Future Foundation Suit and the Spider Armor MK 1 Suit, while The Black Suit variant can fetch around $950.

The Six-Armed Spider-Man suit is worth just over $1000, while the awesome Bombastic Bag-Man Suit card is already up to $1,250.

1. The Soul Stone (Various)

The Soul Stone is not only a piece of Marvel history – its card is exciting in its own right.

To play it, you’ll exile a card in order to trigger its ‘Harness’ ability, which essentially brings a creature card back from your Graveyard every turn. It’s going for around $100.

This powerful card is up for big money in its borderless format, but the Soul Stone’s Cosmic Foil variant is even harder to find.

As I mentioned, one has reportedly already sold for $10,000-$15,000. Right now, it’s listed at $40,000, with a market value of $32,000. Wow.

Yes, there’s also a less flashy version of The Soul Stone, to consider as well, but this Thanos artwork looks amazing… if you’re lucky enough to pull it, or have a spare $2000 to blow.

The Borderless version of the card is currently going for around $1,500 on TCGPlayer, but the site lists its market value as closer to $1,700.

Otherwise, the cheapest way to pick this card up is via its standard variant, which still goes for around $100 right now as well. Not exactly cheap, but miles better than $40k.

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