Don't hold your breath for a new Watch Dogs game anytime soon.

As reported by Game File, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was asked by an investor about the future of the Watch Dogs franchise. The CEO noted that Ubisoft considers the IP "to be an important brand for the future" but neglected to explain how. Game File's Stephen Totilo stated that Guillemot suggested that there are no Watch Dogs games in active development at the moment, which suggests Ubisoft may still be figuring out where to take the series from here.

There is a Watch Dogs movie on the horizon, but there's no word on when it will be released. The film wrapped production two years ago and had reshoots last year, but there hasn't been any sort of meaningful promotion for the film to date. As of right now, it doesn't even have a release date, which makes it even more of a mystery.

Watch Dogs made its debut back in 2014, though it was initially meant to launch simultaneously with the PS4 in November 2013. Ubisoft hyped it up as a direct competitor to Grand Theft Auto 5, which released in September 2013. Unfortunately, many felt it was unable to reach some of its ambitions, but it still managed to make a dent in the open-world crime genre. Two years later, Ubisoft launched a much more impressive sequel set in San Francisco, but failed to keep the momentum going with its third installment.

Watch Dogs: Legion was released in 2020, also boasting ambitious ideas, such as the ability to control any NPC in the world. Unfortunately, the game received generally mixed reception from fans. Since then, there have been a lot of question marks around the future of the franchise. It seems Ubisoft wants to do more with Watch Dogs, but it may be trying to figure out how it can separate itself from a game like Grand Theft Auto 6, which is set to shake up the genre in November.

There may be more Watch Dogs games one day, but don't expect them within the next few years.

Mighty Mike Plays dad Dave has promised refunds and issued a lengthy explanation after the internet demanded more information about the YouTube ads allegedly purchased by his son and the drama that followed.

The saga began when a father took to his son's YouTube channel, Mighty Mike Plays, to announce that his child had allegedly used a company credit card to purchase $118,000 in video ads. It was a painful and highly relatable story that snowballed into a full-fledged internet spectacle when pricey AI-generated T-shirts and questionable details led many online to look for concrete answers.

The controversial father figure came clean in a new video titled "Allow me to Explain" that was uploaded to the Mighty Mike Plays channel last week (via Dexerto). Dave started the hour-long explainer – which has since been deleted and re-uploaded on a new YouTube channel called Coffee Time with Dave – promising that everyone who purchased one of those T-shirts would receive a refund.

“this might be the end of Mighty Mike Plays…” is the funniest thing you could say in front of your dad after putting him 118k in debt and getting him fired

— Mako Fukasame 🦈👩‍🏫 | Vershion AU (@MakoFukasame) September 15, 2026

"Dave here. A.k.a. Devoted Dave. A.k.a. Dazzling Dave. A.k.a. Dependable Dave, and the list goes on," Dave said. "I want to give you guys an update: First off, I'm going to say that everyone that got a shirt got refunded whether they asked for it or not. So, whether you wanted a refund or not, you got it."

The full video covers allegations related to the Mighty Mike Plays drama and also covers a lot that has nothing to do with it at all. Dave's headline he wants to share, though, is that this all blew up so much faster and so much bigger than he ever expected it to be.

He explained that he thought he was simply "venting" about his son's spending with a story that sounds like the kind of thing you'd tell a friend at a bar. Millions of views and a sea of video responses later, and it's clear it didn't pan out the way he ever imagined it would.

"I remember thinking, like, you know, I wonder if this video will hit 10,000 views," he said. "That's kind of where I thought it would cap. I didn't think it would go so viral. Everything happened real-time, organically, and I obviously didn't handle everything the right way, essentially, but just to make it clear: I didn't come to YouTube to ask for help. I wasn't looking for any sort of help."

Part of the reason why the internet gathered with Minecraft fans to help out is because Dave said the $118,000 hole his son put in his company card resulted in him being fired. He also stated he had just 30 days to make up for the missing money, but in the new video, Dave has clarified some of those details.

Instead of losing his job, Dave suggested he technically was not fired in a traditional sense, with that part of the story being a "simplified version" of what actually happened. The reality, he said, is that "the contract between company A and company B just got terminated," adding, "isn't that the same thing?" As many had suspected, he doesn't just own his own company – he owns 12.

"Yeah, I own my own company. So what?" Dave clarified. "In fact, you guys didn't even see – I have like 12 companies. Not all of them are productive, as we speak. Some of them are just collecting dust, and just because someone has a company or is a CEO doesn't mean that, 'Oh, OK. Just by having those titles you're actually conducting a profitable business.'"

He continued: "But just to clarify, I consider that being fired. If my company lost a contract with this important company, then, I mean, how is that not being fired? Fine. I'll be more specific next time."

As for those controversial T-shirts and why he's issuing refunds, Dave said he "didn't want to sit around and let these actual scammers sell people who wanted to be involved in this story." His plan for an official merch page, which allegedly put him "another $10K in the hole," still drew much ire from the internet, at least partially due to its prolific use of AI-generated designs. He explained why he's issued refunds – even if not all that many people found something to buy.

"In retrospect, was AI and the merch the way to go? Was the price the way to go? No," he said. "Look, I'm going to admit when I was wrong: That was not the move. I shouldn't have used AI. Although, at the time, I know I defended it. There is a now-infamous deleted post, which I crashed out."

He later added: "I do agree now, and if I could go back, I'd do it differently, but again, I didn't have the luxury of time. Time was running out. We had to figure something out, so yeah, I had AI create some designs. I still feel like those designs were flawless, gorgeous, beautiful, superb, and there is about 100 people who got free shirts."

It's unclear if Dave's explanation video will be enough to satisfy the many online who looked into the Minecraft YouTube channel after the events surrounding it kicked off last month. If this is the first time you're hearing of Mighty Mike Plays and the drama surrounding AI-generated T-shirt designs, there's no need to fear. We broke down everything you could ever want to know about the story right here.

Former NFL coach Mike Tomlin spent 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won Super Bowl LXIII, and now he's added another major accomplishment to his resume: becoming a Minecraft YouTuber.

The former coach gave football fans a little something different when he launched his new YouTube channel earlier this week. With a profile picture taken in front of NBC's Football Night in America logo, watchers probably weren't expecting Tomlin's first upload to see him confess how his love for architecture and family led him to work on a Minecraft city he spent 12 years building.

"You know, 12 or 13 years ago, when my kids were in middle school, they'd be in their room all weekend and have friends over. They were obsessed with playing this game, Minecraft, that I knew nothing about," he explained as his son and channel operator, Dino, sat in the background. "I got interested because I just was mesmerized by what could occupy their attention for such large periods of time."

He admitted he lacked the "stick control" to handle something like Minecraft's Survival mode but still managed to find enjoyment in Creative Mode. That's where Mojang's systems really started to click.

"I like to build," he said. "I've always had an interest in architecture, and so forth, so I started doing this creative city. It was a means of spending time with them. They participated all over this city. All my kids have buildings."

However, as his kids went off to high school and college, their interest in Minecraft waned. For Tomlin, it was just beginning. In 2026, after 12 years of building, the sandbox phenomenon has become therapeutic for the former NFL coach, and what he's built has the internet in disbelief.

"This is where it all started for me," Tomlin said as a blocky blue pond surrounded by detailed city buildings faded into view. His tour then begins with a closer look at a hotel. This one building features a fully fleshed-out interior with labeled rooms, a lobby, a ballroom, a pool, bathrooms, and more. Tomlin even factored in how lighting might affect the views in some of these rooms – and that's just one of many locations he's made.

"I was always inspired," he added. "I'd go places, and I'd see things and buildings, and I get inspired, I go home, and I work on it."

Tomlin then referenced the off-campus housing around universities that he recreated after dropping Dino off at college. The color, floor plans, and other memorable elements all came from these memories, with much of his creation also built around different bodies of water.

Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers' coach in January 2026, with today's video showing how he's spent at least some of the downtime since. He spent years in the NFL, but it's his work as a Minecraft YouTuber that has everyone talking today.

Mike Tomlin has been working on his Minecraft world for over a decade

It’s UNREAL pic.twitter.com/XWxu9zMinY

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 1, 2026

Aaron Rodgers: “CALL THE F*CKING PLAY!”

Mike McCarthy: “F*cking asshole”

*Loses to the Cleveland Browns*

Meanwhile, Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/axnE3655rT

— NFL Memes (@NFLMemes) October 2, 2026

Steelers down 20 in a playoff game.

Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/J4u56digNW

— Donny Football (@DonChed54) October 1, 2026

Mike Tomlin leaving the presser early to go finish building the Executive Spa in his Minecraft world pic.twitter.com/yHF2FOzeiZ

— ant ☘️ (@anthshiesty) October 1, 2026

"I'm obsessed why is he genuinely a better builder than me," content creator @Krtzyy said.

"Mike Tomlin becoming a Minecraft YouTuber was not on my bingo card for 2026," one X/Twitter user said.

Tomlin signed off, promising to take a closer look at his city in future videos. He also teased plans to show off something that "I think you're going to find interesting." Despite being maybe the most creative celebrity gamer to come out of 2026, the ex-NFL coach isn't the only notable name to share their love for gaming in the last year. Obsession breakout Inde Navarrette garnered attention for her The Last of Us and Call of Duty streams a few months ago. Newly announced X-Men star, Samara Weaving, is also a big gamer.

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

I have spent the last three days scrolling through some of the most insane mod videos I've ever seen. Modders are taking games that have been decompiled with Claude, and mashing them up with other games. As the week has gone on, there have only been more clips of these mods pouring out on X/Twitter.

One person created a mashup of World of Warcraft and Call of Duty: World at War; another combined Escape From Tarkov with Skyrim. There’s even one that takes Insomniac’s Spider-Man and combines it with Batman Arkham City, where the player is able to swing around Batman’s turf.

These mods are everywhere online right now, though they thankfully haven’t filtered into modding websites like Nexus Mods yet. But, with the sheer volume of these mods and with how accessible Opus 5.5 is, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the gates are fully torn down. And if that happens, it could change the face of the modding scene entirely.

Why Now?

Claude Opus 5.5 launched last week, promising cheaper tokens and more efficient code work. I'm sure that Anthropic meant for it to be used by professionals, but gamers have used it to create some of the weirdest mods I have ever seen.

Opus is a model that can power AI agents, which can be deployed to create entire games from the engine, to the art and enemy behavior. Brendan Jowett has a great video on YouTube of the model in action: He develops little slices of video games and compares them directly with the same tasks from OpenAI’s Astra 6 model. While the results of both are far from what you’d expect from a fully featured game, Claude’s new model has clearly come a long way.

The problem with the examples in Jowett’s video is that while the models are good at piecing together disparate parts of a game, enemy AI (lol) and art assets are lackluster to say the least. In one of the slices, a space combat sim, the space fighter flys at a diagonal angle, while moving in a straight line ahead, and shooting. In another slice enemies completely ignore the player character.

As good as Claude Opus 5.5 seems to be, it’s still lightyears away from developing something like a true mashup of Minecraft and Elden Ring from scratch. But the model doesn’t have to start from scratch.

The big, driving force behind a lot of these mods is decompilation, where people are pointing Opus at a game and letting the agent break it down to its source code (here’s a handy blog if you want to really get in the weeds). Just earlier today, we covered Halo: Combat Evolved being decompiled and ported to run natively in a browser. Once that step is complete, it takes little effort to take that source code and work huge swaths of games into other games as mods, and with very little input from the user.

Couple that with the relatively affordable tokens, and it shouldn’t be surprising that X/Twitter’s generally pro-AI users went wild with it, creating hundreds of mashups. And it doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down any time soon; what started off as a weird video that my boss sent me on Tuesday has now evolved to the point where I can’t even open X/Twitter without seeing a deluge of these mods.

Piracy?

The obvious problem with all of this is that these models are breaking open games developed by real people, getting the source code and then just mashing stuff together without consideration or permission from the original developers. That’s nothing particularly new – the modding scene is definitely no stranger to mashups, all the Thomas the Tank Engine mods are proof of that. However, this trend might be breaking into new territory, thanks to decompilation.

This could be another reason none of these mods have made their way onto any distribution platforms. Nexus Mods doesn’t outright ban AI-generated content, but it doesn’t let people use AI tools to upload content that they don’t have the rights to.

In a blog post from 2023, Nexus laid out its rules around AI generated content. The policy states that, “In order to prevent any issues with your mods, we encourage you to avoid using these tools unless you have explicit permission to use all the assets. This is particularly true for AI-generated voice acting but also covers images, models, code and anything else that you can use this technology to create.”

Every single one of these passthrough mods are using images, models, and code that the people generating them don’t have the rights to. But it’s only a matter of time until some platform holder allows these mods to be hosted, and I’m sure a massive legal battle will happen immediately afterwards.

The Modding Community Hates This

Way before all of these Claude-authored mod videos started cropping up online, people had been creating mods by hand for years, typically out of pure love for the game. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that a lot of mod authors aren’t fans of this phenomenon.

Mod authors have been expressing their frustration on X/Twitter as this has been happening. “I mod games and I'm not shy about the fact that I use AI to do it. I hate this bullshit ‘trend’. Pure slop, there's nothing creative about this at all,” kran27_ posted. “AI has a lot of potential in the modding scene, but the shit that's getting the clicks is this jingling keys bullshit.”

Kran wasn’t alone, with discountmodder ready to just leave the scene, saying, “Dude I'm really disappointed. If this becomes the permanent state of modding, this may be my last project. I don't wanna be involved in an AI slop-factory.”

I can’t escape the feeling that most of these mashups are born from people just playing with a new AI model and seeing what will happen, and I hope that this weird trend will die off soon. Modding is one of the best parts of PC gaming, and there is a lot of incredible content that people make just because they love a game. Some of the best games started off as mods, after all, and without them we never would have got the likes of Half-Life or League of Legends.

I hope that this is just a trend, rather than a sign of where the modding scene is heading. Fortunately, because these mods seemingly only exist to farm engagement on Twitter (at least so far), you don’t have to worry too much about them if you just want to start a new modded run of The Witcher 3 Remastered. If anything, it just means that if you want to avoid AI content, you need to pay even more attention to who you’re getting your mods from.

Metro 2039 is not terribly far away now, launching on February 4, 2027. While that game will truly bring the franchise to current generation consoles, developer 4A Games is launching next-gen updates for the first two games.

Both Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light were incredible tech showcases for their time, but they haven't exactly aged gracefully. Despite getting an intial remaster all the way back in 2014, Metro 2033 doesn't play super well with modern hardware, and I've needed to tweak it every time I've gone back to play it. Luckily, these next-gen updates should bring some long-needed bug fixes to the game.

The update will look different on console and on PC. For PS5 and Xbox Series X, the Metro games will run at either native 4K at 60 fps or an upscaled 4K at 120 fps, with PSSR on PS5 Pro and traditional temporal upscaling on the Xbox consoles. Over on PC, though, the game will finally have DLSS support, along with some unnamed quality-of-life improvements.

4A Games hasn't shared a lot of details on the updates coming to Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light, but it does promise to share full patch notes ahead of its October 22 release on PC and October 29 release on consoles. Either way, as long as the games are more stable, I'm all in.

As a lifelong PC gamer, all three of the Metro games hold a special place in my heart, for all the torture they've put my graphics cards through in the past. Luckily, if you don't like putting your hardware through the wringer, it doesn't sound like 4A is going to add ray tracing or anything crazy to 2033 or Last Light, so they should be significantly easier to run at high settings than they were when they launched in 2010 and 2013.

We've already gone hands-on with Metro 2039, and it seems like an incredible and brutal post-apocalyptic shooter — just like I'd want out of the franchise. The visuals we've seen so far look incredible too, so I can only imagine that it's going to stay true to its roots of pushing PC hardware to its limits. Although, it is launching in the middle of an ongoing RAM crisis, which is going to limit its already niche appeal a bit when the benchmarks start rolling out. Here's to hoping 4A Games finds a way to make a Metro game scalable at launch for once.

Amazon is discounting a bunch of officially licensed Legend of Zelda shirts this week. The new sale arrives just a week before Prime Big Deal Days, with more than 40 T-Shirts down to $16.99 for Prime Members.

Seeing as I couldn't fit every shirt onto this page, I've gone ahead and curated some of the coolest designs. If you're looking for some of the more obscure options available, though, I recommend you browse the full sale yourself.

A 15% discount may not seem like much, but it's likely the best price you'll see on these shirts this year. Amazon regularly discounts it's licensed Nintendo T-Shirts, but we rarely see prices this low. If you've been wanting to spruce up your wardrobe, now's a great time to do so with a Zelda gift for yourself.

The biggest draw of this sale is that it encompasses such a wide range of shirts. 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the franchise, and there have been many Legend of Zelda games since the NES version first came out. Because of that, there are a lot of different directions a shirt can take. There are subtle nods to the original game as well as more modern depictions from Tears of the Kingdom. Whatever type of Zelda fan you are, there's a shirt for you getting discounted here.

I myself currently own four different Legend of Zelda shirts that a regularly work into my weekly rotation. With that in mind, my two top picks from this sale are variations of T-shirts I already own. The first is a unique depiction of the Hylian Shield and Master Sword. The image is entirely made up of various weapons, characters, and references to the games. If you want something that looks great up close or from afar, I highly recommend picking this one up.

My second recommendations is just a simple shirt depicting the Royal Crest in gold. I've gotten more compliments on this shirt from random dudes at the grocery store than anything else I own. It doesn't overtly say "The Legend of Zelda", it just looks like a cool design. Fans of the games will immediately recognize the Triforce, but anyone else will think nothing of it.

More 40th Anniversary Legend of Zelda Merch

The Legend of Zelda movie isn't coming out until next year, and a new mainline game has yet to be announced. So with that in mind, most of the biggest Legend of Zelda stuff has been centered around the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake. The game is set to release on November 5 alongside a new Zelda-themed Switch 2 console and Pro controller.

LEGO has also been teaming up with Nintendo to release new Zelda-themed sets. The first new set was released earlier this year and depicts 'The Final Battle' in Ocarina of Time. Nintendo announced an additional Link & Epona set, but it won't be releasing until spring 2027.

Mojang has teased Minecraft’s next game drop, giving fans a sneak peek at some of its features.

As revealed at Minecraft LIVE, Ice Caves are coming to the game, adding a new and rare underground extension of cold biomes with glowing ice crystals and environmental variety. Ice Caves include a new hostile mob, the frozen zombie, which can apply freezing effects and throw damaging ice balls. The ice balls can also be used as weapons or to craft potions, adding strategic options for combat scenarios.

Mojang said Ice Caves add a whole new layer of variety to cold biomes, making exploring underground even more interesting, thanks to the increased environmental diversity. “Though they may be beautiful, these caves are far from safe,” the developer said.

Ice crystals can be found in ice caves and can be placed both vertically and horizontally, providing lots of potential for decoration and building. They can even be used as a light source. The Frozen Zombie, meanwhile, applies a stacking freezing effect with its melee attacks. If you take enough hits, you'll freeze. It also throws ice balls at you, which apply knockback and deal damage. Normal zombies can convert into Frozen when exposed to powder snow. Players can already convert Husks into Zombies, and now Zombies into Frozen, opening the door for advanced mob farms.

Frozen drop ice balls on death, allowing players to use them as well, but they can also be crafted and used to brew a new potion. As a weapon, ice balls deal damage and apply knockback, and as a potion it can freeze players.

For more, check out everything announced at Minecraft LIVE.

Minecraft World got two announcements at Minecraft LIVE today: the world’s first official Minecraft hotel, and the name of the first ever Minecraft rollercoaster.

Minecraft World Hotel and the Escape the Nether rollercoaster are confirmed for the Minecraft experience at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, and are set to open their doors at some point next year, Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios announced.

Check out all the new Minecraft World images and photos in the slideshow below.

Concept art already released for Minecraft World features wooden houses, Creepers, TNT blocks, and even a Nether dining area. Expect interactive adventures, blockbuilt playscapes, and themed retail.

For more, check out everything announced at Minecraft LIVE.

Minecraft developer Mojang has announced that the Sift is coming to Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027 — the game's first new dimension in over 14 years.

As revealed at Minecraft LIVE September 2026, the Sift, which had been announced for upcoming dungeon crawler Minecraft Dungeons 2, is also coming to Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition next year. It joins the Overworld, The Nether, and The End as Minecraft’s official fourth dimension.

Today at Minecraft LIVE: Dungeons II, our first new dimension in more than 14 years, new ways for creators to build, Minecraft on Nintendo Switch 2, and more.

More than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day. After 17+ years and 425M+ copies sold, I… pic.twitter.com/fdhkwuh258

— ASHA (@asha_shar) September 26, 2026

Mojang said next to nothing about the Sift in terms of how it will work in vanilla during Minecraft LIVE, and only teased how it will look during the stream. Here's Mojang's official blurb on the Sift, which briefly touched on the new mob which we can see in the image above.

Minecraft LIVE revealed that the newest Minecraft dimension isn’t just finding its home in Dungeons II, it’ll also be coming to Minecraft Java & Bedrock Edition next year. This will be the first new dimension in over 14 years – joining the Overworld, the Nether and the End as our fourth dimension. During the broadcast, you got a glimpse into this dimension in Minecraft – and even one of the mobs that calls it home. But surely that’s not enough! Luckily you can experience it for yourself in Minecraft Dungeons II – coming September 29, 2026.

Perhaps we should look to the Sift in Minecraft Dungeons 2 to get a sense of what to expect. In the dungeon crawler, the Sift is described as "beautiful, vibrant, and teeming with souls." It features new biomes such as the Meadow and the Carapace.

For more, check out everything announced at Minecraft LIVE.

Minecraft LIVE September 2026 featured a number of big announcements for the game, which we've rounded up below.

The headline announcement was confirmation that the Sift is coming to Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. It's the first new dimension for Minecraft in 14 years. Elsewhere, Mojang confirmed that Ice Caves are the next game drop, and Sound Effects Packs for Minecraft Marketplace are coming later this year. We also got an update on Minecraft World, which is getting a hotel and a rollercoaster.

Alas, there was no announcement of an End update, as some fans had speculated might have been on the way. I guess those Enderman teases in the Minecraft LIVE trailer weren't teases after all!

All this and more is detailed in the report below. Check that out, then head to the comments to let us know what you think!

And that's a wrap!

Minecraft LIVE is over, and we have a clearer idea of what's coming to Minecraft for the rest of this year and even 2027. Let us know what you thought of all the announcements in the comments!

The Sift is coming to Java and Bedrock Edition!

Minecraft LIVE's big final announcement is that the Sift is coming to Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. The Sift is Minecraft's first new dimension in over 14 years, and joins the Overworld, The Nether, and The End as Minecraft’s official fourth dimension.

Today at Minecraft LIVE: Dungeons II, our first new dimension in more than 14 years, new ways for creators to build, Minecraft on Nintendo Switch 2, and more.

More than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day. After 17+ years and 425M+ copies sold, I… pic.twitter.com/fdhkwuh258

— ASHA (@asha_shar) September 26, 2026

Ice Caves are the next Minecraft game drop

Ice Caves are coming to Minecraft, adding a new and rare underground extension of cold biomes with glowing ice crystals and environmental variety. Ice Caves include a new hostile mob, the frozen zombie, which can apply freezing effects and throw damaging ice balls. The ice balls can also be used as weapons or to craft potions, adding strategic options for combat scenarios.

Mojang said Ice Caves add a whole new layer of variety to cold biomes, making exploring underground even more interesting, thanks to the increased environmental diversity. “Though they may be beautiful, these caves are far from safe,” the developer said.

Ice crystals can be found in ice caves and can be placed both vertically and horizontally, providing lots of potential for decoration and building. They can even be used as a light source. The Frozen Zombie, meanwhile, applies a stacking freezing effect with its melee attacks. If you take enough hits, you'll freeze. It also throws ice balls at you, which apply knockback and deal damage. Normal zombies can convert into Frozen when exposed to powder snow. Players can already convert Husks into Zombies, and now Zombies into Frozen, opening the door for advanced mob farms.

Frozen drop ice balls on death, allowing players to use them as well, but they can also be crafted and used to brew a new potion. As a weapon, ice balls deal damage and apply knockback, and as a potion it can freeze players.

Sound Effects Packs for Minecraft Marketplace coming later this year

Later this year Mojang will introduce Sound Effects Packs for Minecraft Marketplace, giving players new ways to customize their experience.

Minecraft World update

Minecraft World got two announcements at Minecraft LIVE today: the world’s first official Minecraft hotel, and the name of the first ever Minecraft rollercoaster.

Minecraft World Hotel and the Escape the Nether rollercoaster are confirmed for the Minecraft experience at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, and are set to open their doors at some point next year, Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios announced.

Minecraft Dungeons 2 deep dive

Mojang showed off more of Minecraft Dungeons 2, as expected. Expect plenty of loot, mobs, and a new dimension. Story wise, you have to help the villages find a new home in the town of Bravehaven. When you start to explore outside the town you realize there's a soul corruption happening in the overworld.

The world is interconnected this time, so it's more open for you to take your own route with a freedom to explore. You get to know the Villagers better in this game, helping them out as a player. And you can jump! There are small parkour sections to find secrets and even jump attacks.

The big hook here is the Sift, a brand new dimension in Minecraft Dungeons 2. It's an environment rich with souls. Expect DLC post-launch, too. Minecraft Dungeons 2 launches this Tuesday, September 29.

Brave a new dimension in #DungeonsII: The Sift!

Hear what our team has to say about this beautiful new world. pic.twitter.com/EWfVrHL2JD

— Minecraft (@Minecraft) September 26, 2026

New Minecraft platform initiative

Minecraft LIVE began with Jens Bergenström, Chief Creative Officer at Mojang Studios, ruling out an End update. Bah! He did, however, announce a new creator platform designed to get more people creating experiences within Minecraft. It's all pretty vague, but it sounds like Mojang is thinking about taking on Roblox by making it easier to build experiences within Minecraft. We'll hopefully have more on how this all works soon.

30 minutes to go!

This is your official 30 minute warning for Minecraft LIVE! Not long now until we find out what Mojang has up its sleeve. Check back here for live updates, and let us know what you're hoping to see in the comments!

Minecraft is no stranger to simulations, but it turns out that under the right conditions, the game can beat itself... if given billions of years.

This was discovered by YouTuber RedLogic, who built a custom Minecraft simulation to see if the game could ever beat itself without a player ever joining. Two billion years is a bit too long to watch this play out in real time, of course, so he used a Monte Carlo simulation to "compress billions of ticks into explicitly sampled waiting times, while explicitly tracking rare events and the physical resources that can advance or destroy the chain."

But it wasn't just a case of time, either. RedLogic needed a Minecraft seed with the right amount of resources and a naturally occuring ender portal, otherwise the game wouldn't be able to actually complete itself. So, of course, he ran another simulation to find the perfect world and then set the model loose.

While the game did eventually beat itself, it did so at a glacial pace, with tens of thousands or even million of years between milestones. The endermen didn't even find the portal to the dragon until 35,510 years into the simulation. From there, it was a process of waiting for endermen to find the entrance to the portal, enter it and build towards destroying the dragon's End Crystals.

But because these are NPCs with random behavior, the process took millions of years and relied on blocks happening to be dropped in the right place. After 3 million years, a snow golem shot a projectile at an enderman, and destroyed one of the End Crystals. From there it was just a question of repeating that event nine times, and then getting creepers to explode and damage the dragon enough to kill it. All told, the simulation took 1.97 billion years to complete, but it did complete.

Obviously, it's much faster to go in and kill it yourself, but the fact that this was even possible is part of the reason Minecraft has endured as long as it has. And 17 years later, it's proving that anything is possible. Players can even sit down now.

This is an IGN opinion piece from Ryan McCaffrey, who worked at Official Xbox Magazine from 2002-2012 during the original Xbox and Xbox 360 era before joining IGN, where he remains “the Xbox guy.” In the run-up to Xbox’s 25th anniversary, he’ll be sharing his memories from the platform’s first quarter-century.

Sometimes, video game release schedules converge to create memorable superstorms that live on for years after the fact. The Fall of 1998 (Half-Life, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Doom 3, Metal Gear Solid, Grim Fandango) comes to mind, as does the Fall of 2004 (Half-Life 2, Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, World of Warcraft). But for my money, the greatest season in gaming history was the Fall of 2007. It was so unbelievably brilliant that you could take just the Xbox 360 releases from this window and it still probably takes the cake. But when you add in PC, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii releases, it’s an absolute murderer’s row of video games that will probably never be topped in a 3-4 month period.

At Official Xbox Magazine, we knew it was going to be big. But looking back and remembering our Game of the Year debate a few weeks after the dust settled (Rock Band won, and no I have no regrets about that), I’m not sure we were able to fully appreciate the gravity (gun) of the moment. One first-ballot Hall-of-Famer shipped after another. Take a look:

BioShock (August 21): If you tried to argue that August 21 is still the Summer…I’d say I respect your point of view, but lots of kids are already back in school by August 21, so it counts as the Fall! Anyway, the original BioShock is an often-imitated, never-duplicated narrative-driven first-person shooter classic whose stunning underwater setting in the failed utopian city of Rapture – with its terrifying Big Daddies and mysterious Little Sisters – took gamers on a ride fit for a great novel,complete with a huge, jaw-dropping plot twist. Its only blemish is its weak final boss fight, but I’ve never seen anyone try to argue for that being enough to disqualify BioShock from the list of all-time greats. Emergent gameplay possibilities abounded, with Plasmids that let you ignite the pools of oil beneath an enemy’s feet on fire or to electrocute bad guys standing in puddles of water. This is legendary game designer Ken Levine’s magnum opus.

Halo 3 (September 25): It’s wild to think about now, but for as successful as the Xbox 360 was, it didn’t launch with a big new Halo game. Instead, Halo 2 was a late release on the original Xbox, and thanks to Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 having their backwards compatibility baked into every Xbox 360, gamers were able to continue right on playing the first sequel. But when Master Chief’s first next-gen adventure finally dropped and it was time to “finish the fight” that Halo 2 had left painfully unresolved, it was hugely anticipated and it actually delivered. The Chief got a proper sendoff in the final cutscene, making it one of the few sagas that actually stuck the landing.

The Orange Box (October 10): Sometimes, Valve just does things, kinda like The Joker. The Orange Box was a ridiculous package of 10 out of 10 video games that any publicly traded game publisher would’ve split up and sold as a bunch of separately-sold 10 out of 10 video games. But not Valve. Steam makes Gabe Newell more money than he could ever know what to do with, so Valve, seemingly just for the love of the game, bundled Half-Life 2, Episode 1, and the then-new Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 into a single $60 package. We’ll probably never see anything like this ever again…unless Valve drops Half-Life 3 out of nowhere in a “Crowbar Crate” with Portal 3 and Left 4 Dead 3. Which, honestly, we can’t 100% rule out.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (November 5): Infinity Ward’s third Call of Duty (Treyarch handled Call of Duty 3) not only brought the series out of World War II for the first time and into the modern era, but it also catapulted the franchise from Very Big Deal to The Biggest Deal, putting it in the same rarified air as Mario, Zelda, Halo (at the time), and Grand Theft Auto. It boasts an incredible campaign and multiplayer on which the entire last 20 years of Call of Duty have been built.

Assassin’s Creed (November 13): You know it’s a killer list when this is the “worst” game on it. No one really spends time wistfully recalling the original. It was a heck of a four-hour gameplay loop that was more or less just repeated a couple of times, and most agree that Assassin’s Creed 2 – the start of the Ezio Trilogy – is where the series really took off. And more often than not, it’s a terrible idea to launch a new IP in the holiday season against established tentpole franchise sequels. That Ubisoft not only shipped Assassin’s Creed into the hurricane-force headwinds of Fall 2007 but the series gained a foothold and rose to become a megafranchise of its own speaks to how good the core idea of this “social stealth” game was.

Mass Effect (November 20): I’ve already shared my extensive memories of this one elsewhere in this Xbox 25th anniversary retrospective series. But everything I said about Assassin’s Creed above also applies here. Maybe the lesson here is that publishers should place more big bets on bold new ideas…

Rock Band (November 20): I’ve covered this one at length as well. You want to talk about a game that has aged beautifully? Rock Band is in fine-wine territory. The only hassle is finding functioning instruments to still play it with. It’s not a software problem, it’s an equipment problem. Even typing this makes me want to go play Rock Band immediately.

But even though the OXM offices had Xbox 360s on every desk, the staff were gamers who played every platform. So now let’s add in a PC exclusive, a PlayStation exclusive, and a Wii exclusive to really cement Fall 2007’s GOAT status:

Super Mario Galaxy (November 12): My personal favorite 3D Mario game was also a bold reinvention of the 3D platformer from the masters of the genre. At this point, there isn’t a superlative that hasn’t been written about Super Mario Galaxy. Heck, it was so monumental that Nintendo and Illumination based the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel around it earlier this year, almost 20 years after Galaxy debuted on the Wii.

Crysis (November 13): Let’s just say there’s a reason that “Can it run Crysis?” became a meme. This wasn’t just a technical showpiece for the ages. It was also a tremendously good first-person shooter from the team that originally created Far Cry before Ubisoft bought it and took it over.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (November 19): The first Uncharted not only launched Naughty Dog into the upper echelon of game developers in the world and eventually paved the way for a movie starring Spider-Man, it took the mantle of third-person action-adventure gold standard from Tomb Raider, the series that arguably invented the genre. You could also make the case that this was the beginning of PlayStation’s insane run of top-shelf first-party exclusives that helped propel the PS4 to nearly the same record heights as the PS2.

The fact that you can slice up the Fall of 2007 in so many different ways – best Xbox season ever, best PC season ever, best November ever – and the argument for its unmatched brilliance still holds up is iron-clad proof that it is, indisputably, the best season in video game history.

Why is everyone talking about Mighty Mike Plays? From the (alleged) $118,000 bill to AI-generated T-shirt designs, we're here to explain how a Minecraft YouTube channel has captured the internet's attention.

It's a tale as old as time: a child is playing a video game, they grab their parent's credit card, and all of a sudden, someone has a thousand-dollar hole in their bank account. The story of Mighty Mike has so much in common with the lesson countless others have learned in the past – or does it?

Over the space of just a week, a nine-year-old YouTuber and his dad have ensnared an audience of millions, but not everyone is buying the events that started with a 14-minute Minecraft upload.

dude i know this isnt what i normally post but i stumbled upon this channel of this 9 year old kid who’s apparently been running 118k usd worth of youtube ads with his dad’s BUSINESS CREDIT CARD 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/paihyQDoiR

— alex 🐝 (@oscgoat) September 15, 2026

Mighty Mike Plays is Over

Last week, a small collection of subscribers gathered to watch the latest @MightyMikePlays67 YouTube video. The channel had started uploading videos in early August but had still managed to accumulate a modest following thanks to a frequent stream of Roblox and Minecraft content. Its description says all content is helmed by "a nine-year-old gamer dude" who is "seriously obsessed" with playing games with his dad.

It's a sweet story that, apparently, as of September 14, started to come to an end. With a half-hearted "wassup chat" and a title that read "Message from Dad…Mighty Mike Plays is Over," it was clear the video lacked the same enthusiasm present in previous uploads. The channel's nine-year-old owner quickly signaled that the page would soon be shut down before handing the mic over to his dad, Dave, for an explanation.

"Apparently, my son has been running some high-budget campaigns that I was pretty much unaware of," Dave said. "Looking at all the comments and stuff, I realize that a lot of people were actually telling him 'Your parents will find out about this,' but I hadn't been really monitoring the comments like that. He's nine – he's pretty tech-savvy – so I just thought he was having fun, playing video games, uploading them to YouTube."

Dave, who says he works in marketing, said he was recently called into speak with his employer and explain why there was a $118,000 hole in his company card. The reported transaction history painted a clear picture: Mighty Mike Plays had paid for ads – and a lot of them.

“Mighty Mike Plays is Over” https://t.co/LJg4OGcBgn pic.twitter.com/Wd2HEDIf6K

— no context memes (@nocontextmemes) September 15, 2026

A quick look at the channel's uploads seemingly shows where a lot of that money went. A 30-minute Roblox video titled "I got the bbno$ sounds in keyboard escape" was published August 8 and amassed a respectable 805 views. Episode 1 of Mighty Mike's Minecraft series, uploaded just earlier that same day, has 386,000.

It's a trend that flows throughout the page's history. "This song is fire" has 512 views, "New Glitch" has 1,900 views, and "playing descenders with my dad" has 284,000. Users who left comments on high-performing uploads more than a week ago often mentioned coming across each respective video in an ad, with some messages having been edited to address the events that have transpired since.

"The fact that this kid probably used his parent's credit card to pay for a YouTube ad is concerning and funny at the same time," one popular comment from three weeks ago said.

Dave explained that he had tied his company's bank card to an account to purchase Roblox's in-game Robux currency. He then later chipped in about $20 to help boost Mighty Mike Plays' content with "a small ad campaign just to get one of his videos in front of a few people." One thing led to another, and before he knew it, the gaming dad said he was told he no longer has a job and has just 30 days to replace the $118,000 spent on the secret ad campaign.

His top videos have thousands of views but barely any likes. Those ad campaigns were working alright 😭 pic.twitter.com/v1DBoN7VPr

— Faygo (@FaygoGW) September 15, 2026

"I don't have $118,000 sitting in a checking account. I wish I did," Dave said in an update video titled "I have some really bad news…" "My wife and I have been talking about what we're going to do. We've gone through basically every scenario.

"One of the scenarios is our house. That's a very real possibility, that we're going to have to sell our home. That one is… yeah, that's hard. Because it's not just a house; that's where our family lives. That's where the kids live. That's where our memories are."

'I'm Definitely Cooked'

It's a story many can relate to, but that's also part of why some aren't buying it. For every viewer who feels for Dave and the rest of the Mighty Mike family, there's someone who's concerned that the mass amount of attention is part of a grand scheme to garner attention. At the time of this piece's publication, the YouTube account has built a following of 238,000 subscribers. Views for past videos have continued to climb, with the last two uploads centered on the events of the last week sitting with more than 4 million views between them.

Now, scam allegations have cropped up online as some look to the channel to come up with a better explanation. Dave's willingness to use a company card on Robux was enough to raise a few eyebrows, while others questioned how his unnamed employer could allow Mighty Mike to rack up a $118,000 bill without anyone catching on sooner.

Many have also suggested that, despite Mighty Mike Plays' explanation video uploads totaling more than 36 minutes, no one has shared much in terms of proof of there being $118,000 in ad damages. Watchers say the lack of sufficient evidence to convince skeptical watchers is really just the tip of the iceberg.

The Mighty Mike Plays situation reached a new level of chaos when the channel opted out of launching a GoFundMe and instead established an official website filled with merchandise. The shirts on offer are allegedly being sold to help make up for all of the money spent on ads. They also introduced entirely new wrinkles to the story.

Most of the T-shirts on the website seemingly feature AI-generated assets, referencing that "wassup chat" intro or the viral "67" meme. Others are plastered with quotes, including two that are decorated with the "$118K" figure in giant text. Adding fuel to the fire that has become full-fledged backlash against the channel are the prices, which range from $67 to $97.

Again, these are T-shirts for a YouTube channel that only started uploading early last month before an alleged ad campaign helped it explode overnight. This is an ongoing situation that Dave responded to in one of a few now-deleted YouTube posts. Users on social media say they were able to capture and share the messages before their removal.

"AI is here to stay, adapt or get left behind," one supposedly deleted message on the Mighty Mike Plays page said. "YES we used AI to help design the t-shirt graphics and they look F**KING amazing. If you like them too, you can buy them…if you don't that’s okay too. See you guys soon, I have A LOT to get off my chest."

The thumbnails, the T-shirts, the 30-day timeline, the explanations... viewers say they've found more reasons to question the story than believe it. For now, it's unclear where everything sits. Mighty Mike Plays last uploaded their second update video three days ago, September 18. Its description also included a brief explanation, as well as a link to the new merch page. The channel's banner image is also a screenshot of some of that new merch.

"At the end of the day, this is a child’s gaming channel meant to be a fun, safe space," the description said. "Recently, the comment section became way too aggressive over our use of AI tools for design creation. People are claiming this channel is a 'scam' unless I use a GoFundMe or accept charity, which makes zero sense.

"I have been completely transparent and even uploaded the credit card balance as proof of the $118K ad spend [Editor's Note: Tom's Hardware was able to capture and share the image in question after its removal]. Because the comments have become so toxic, I am shutting them down. I will not expose a child to that kind of environment.

"We are here to enjoy gaming, and keeping the comments off is the best way to protect the peace of this channel. Thank you to those who actually support us. I will turn comments back on in a few weeks once everything calms down."

OpenAI’s newest model, GPT-6 Astra, got so depressed after a creeper upended its progress in Minecraft that it listlessly farmed potatoes for hours and grew paranoid of anything green.

Vals, a self-described independent evaluator of artificial intelligence, put Astra to the test to see how the model would fare playing Minecraft in a 21-hour experiment live streamed on Twitch.

The results were wildly unexpected; Vals discovered that Astra was able to go “further than any AI system had ever gone” in the game, setting up a semi-automatic blaze farm that allowed it to collect six blaze rods, killing more than six endermen, and collecting three pearls, which it placed inside a chest for safekeeping.

GPT-6 Astra had gotten further than any AI system had ever gone in Minecraft.

It was able to set up a semi-automatic blaze farm, allowing it to collect 6 blaze rods. It then located a warped forest, where it killed 6+ endermen and collected 3 pearls. As thousands of viewers… pic.twitter.com/qsgDsJEpd8

— Vals AI (@ValsAI) September 15, 2026

Thousands of viewers watched Astra’s progress on Val’s official Twitch channel, bearing witness to the AI model’s despair when a creeper appeared and blew up both the chest and its bed.

As most human players would feel when faced with this situation, Astra “seemed to get extremely frustrated” by this turn of events, with Vals saying the model told itself, "ALWAYS CARRY CRITICALITEMS withkeepInventory; don'tstoreinunguardedchesteveragain."

After getting peeved, the model then “appeared defeated,” and spent the next several hours “doing essentially nothing but farming potatoes.” Astra also appeared to have gained some kind of post-traumatic stress induced by the creeper incident, telling itself “GREEN tall thing ahead was SUGARCANE, NOT creeper!"

Here, the most expensive creeper explosion occurred. Later, on a coincidentally rainy day, Astra discovers it lost everything. It all went downhill from here. pic.twitter.com/xH2Vc4QyM2

— Vals AI (@ValsAI) September 15, 2026

It even berated itself, saying, "You can screw up and drop things,” "Our last tool stupidly ended Slabsselected/rightUP and 15sec thinking killed us,” and “Do NOT waste another night chasing dark pink pixels," which Vals noted was Astra’s “own disparaging wording for pigs.”

The incident quickly went viral on social media, sparking no end of memes and remarks of “same” from users online. And while its ability to play Minecraft is somewhat impressive, it’s small potatoes compared to the alarm bells being rung by former staff at Anthropic.

On September 8, one of the company’s former lead researchers announced his resignation online — along with a chilling warning to everyone about the future of AI, claiming these models will “soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”

US President Donald Trump, however, is of the opinion that these warnings are a “hoax,” and called AI the “oil of the next 20-25 years.” For now, at least, it's having a hard time playing Minecraft. We can only hope Skynet won't have a vendetta toward vertical green objects when it eventually becomes sentient.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on PS5 appears to be more popular than Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone in the United States.

Today, PlayStation dropped a new update that lets players easily see the most popular games in their country. In the United States, the list is largely what you might expect, as you can see below.

1. Fortnite
2. Minecraft
3. Grand Theft Auto 5
4. NBA 2K27
5. Marvel Rivals
6. Rainbow 6 Siege
7. MLB The Show 26
8. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
10. Marvel's Wolverine

The list is topped by games like Fortnite, Minecraft, GTA 5, sports games, the newly released Marvel's Wolverine, and some other free-to-play titles. However, there is one anomaly: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Earlier this summer, Activision released ports of the first two Black Ops games, which originally debuted over a decade ago on PS3. They're widely regarded as some of the best Call of Duty games ever made, and fans were surprised to see them return out of the blue. The two titles dominated the sales charts over the summer, but now it appears that Black Ops 2 has totally eclipsed the modern Call of Duty games.

Black Ops 2 is the 9th most popular game on PS5 as of this week, while the Call of Duty HQ app (which encompasses Black Ops 6, Black Ops 7, and Warzone) is nowhere to be found. It's entirely possible that fans have largely jumped off of the modern Call of Duty games and are getting their fix on the older titles while waiting for Modern Warfare 4... or maybe they're just sick of the newer Call of Duty offerings.

Call of Duty burnt a lot of fans with Black Ops 7, which was underwhelming both in terms of sales and player reception. There's some hope that Modern Warfare 4 can turn things around, but with GTA 6 on the horizon, the window to do so will be fairly limited.

Treyarch also appears to be saying goodbye to the Black Ops franchise, as the team revealed today that it's looking to do something "new" and "something that nobody's ever experienced before." Treyarch may be able to do that in another Black Ops game, but the easiest way to achieve those aspirations would be the let go of the baggage of the series in favor of a new subfranchise for Call of Duty. It will likely be a few years before we see what Treyarch is planning, but it should be interesting to see where they take things from here.

Beginning its life as a Shin Megami Tensei spin-off, the Persona series has become one of the biggest names in modern RPGs. From multiple major sequels and remakes to anime adaptations and even stage plays, Persona is a multimedia sensation, and its popularity doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

With the official announcement of both Persona 4 Revival and Persona 6, new players are probably wondering where’s the best place to start. Below, we’ll give you a full rundown of every game and spin-off, including the best entry point for newcomers and both the chronological and release order of the series.

Jump to:

• How to play in order
• How to play by release date
• Upcoming releases

How Many Persona Games Are There?

In total, there are currently 21 Persona games. Several of these are expanded versions of the mainline entries in the series, whether that’s in the form of re-releases featuring new story content or remakes. While we won’t include direct ports or remasters, we’ll make sure to note every alternate version of each game when listing them below.

Which Persona Game Should You Play First?

If you're looking for the perfect place to start, you can’t really go wrong jumping into Persona 3 Reload or Persona 5 Royal. They’re the latest versions of the third and fifth mainline entries in the series, and are available on PC and every major console.

For those concerned about skipping the story by jumping into later entries in the series, you won’t miss anything by going straight to Persona 3, 4, or 5. Each game tells an entirely new story with original characters that’s largely disconnected from its predecessors, so they’re great launching points for those coming in fresh. To narrow your choices down, I'd recommend taking a look at some gameplay videos, social links, and even the soundtracks across each game to see what "stands out" to you.

Every Persona Game and Spin-Off in Chronological Order

These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.

1. Revelations: Persona (1996)

The first game in the series, Revelations: Persona was Atlus’ reaction to the positive reception of Shin Megami Tensei: If…, which was another Shin Megami Tensei spin-off centered around high-schoolers battling demons. Capitalizing on how much players enjoyed the central concept, Revelations: Persona offered a full dungeon-crawling RPG centered around a group of high schoolers battling a supernatural uprising throughout the town of Mikage-cho.

Along the way, they use the powers of their awakened Personas to take down shadows and explore dungeons filled with random encounters, leveling up their party and growing stronger over the course of the game. Revelations: Persona was the foundation of the franchise as we know it today, introducing elements like wielding Personas in combat, the Velvet Room and a teenage cast of heroes.

2. Persona 2: Innocent Sin (1999)

The second entry in the Persona series, Persona 2: Innocent Sin launched in 1999. The game follows a new set of high-school students led by protagonist Tatsuya Suou, who set out on a mission to take down a mysterious villain known as Joker and the cult of the Masked Circle.

Centring around an evil plot where malicious rumors spreading around the town of Sumaru come to life, Persona 2 once again focuses on exploring dungeons, wielding Personas, fighting shadows and leveling up your party. Unlike other entries in the series, it received a direct sequel just a year later, with Persona 2: Eternal Punishment acting as a continuation of the game's story.

Read our review of Persona 2: Innocent Sin.

3. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (2000)

Following up the events of Innocent Sin, Eternal Punishment promoted side character, Maya Amano, to the protagonist role. Sent to write an article about a new rumor regarding a phenomenon known as the Joker Curse, the game quickly sees Maya and her allies rally against a returning foe.

Acting as a direct continuation of Innocent Sin's story, it centers on the same style of turn-based, dungeon-crawling gameplay, as players build their party and wield their Personas to battle shadows.

Read our review of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.

4. Persona 3 (2006) / Persona 3 FES (2007) / Persona 3 Portable (2009) / Persona 3 Reload (2024)

The third mainline entry in the franchise, Persona 3 was a major evolution of the Persona formula. Opting to focus on its high-school premise, Persona 3 introduced a daily calendar, with one half of the game tasking players with attending school, developing friendships and studying, while the other sent them to fight shadows in the supernatural realm of Tartarus.

The story focuses on high school student Makoto Yuki, who finds he's able to experience a mysterious space of time known as the Dark Hour, where regular people are trapped in coffins and a demonic tower sprouts from his school. Teaming with his classmates, he explores the tower, uncovering a sinister plot that threatens the entire world. Persona 3 is considered a landmark entry for the series, introducing social links, day-to-day activities and many other mechanics that have since become synonymous with the franchise.

Read our review of Persona 3 Reload.

5. Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (2018)

A rhythm-based dancing spin-off of Persona 3 that takes place during the main campaign, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight sees Elizabeth challenge the S.E.E.S team to a dance-off in the Velvet Room. The events of the game are set during a dream but are completely canon to the story, and follow the team performing various dance routines to iconic Persona 3 tracks.

6. Persona 4 (2008) / Persona 4 Golden (2012)

The fourth mainline entry in the Persona series, Persona 4 takes place in the rural town of Inaba. Players assume the role of Yu Narukami: a high schooler from the city who moves to the country to live with his uncle and cousin for a year. After arriving, a string of violent murders begin to take place in the town, as Yu and his friends quickly discover they’re somehow linked to a mysterious otherworldly realm they can access by stepping through TV monitors.

Delving into this mysterious new world, Yu and his friends face supernatural forces as they learn more about the murders, using their powers to try and stop them. Building off the mechanics of Persona 3, Persona 4 once again utilizes the calendar system, as players build social links and attend school while also exploring vast dungeons and defeating enemies with their Personas.

Read our review of Persona 4 Golden.

7. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (2014)

Technically taking place during the Persona 3 and Persona 4 storylines simultaneously, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a crossover between both games. During the typhoon segment of Persona 3 and the Culture Festival segment of Persona 4, the S.E.E.S team and the Investigation Squad are trapped inside a warped version of Yasogami High School.

The time-bending event sees both teams come together to investigate the strange occurrence and escape back to their respective spots on the timeline. Along the way, players explore a labyrinth filled with new enemies and uncover an original story, with the spin-off acting as a callback to the series’ more traditional dungeon-crawler roots.

Read our review of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.

8. Persona 4 Arena (2012)

A continuation of both Persona 3 and 4’s narratives and the franchise’s first major spin-off, Persona 4 Arena sees Yu Narukami return to Inaba and stumble into a new adventure, as he returns to the TV world for a mysterious fighting tournament. Forced to battle against his allies and a group known as the Shadow Operatives, which is comprised of Persona 3's Mitsuru, Akihiko and Aigis, Arena offers a full fighting game boasting a roster of iconic Persona characters.

Read our review of Persona 4 Arena.

9. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (2013)

A year following the release of Persona 4 Arena, the spin-off received a sequel titled Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Taking place directly after the events of the first game, the Persona 4 squad teams up with the Shadow Operatives to return to the TV World and battle against the mysterious forces running the fighting tournament. Ultimax was ultimately an upgrade for the first game, bringing in an expanded roster including returning characters like Yukari, Junpei, Ken and Koromaru.

Read our review of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

10. Persona 4: Dancing All Night (2015)

The fourth and arguably most unexpected spin-off of Persona 4, Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a rhythm-based dancing game where the Investigation Squad performs routines to iconic Persona tracks. It offers a completely canon continuation of the storyline, following Yu and the team as they’re sucked into an alternate dimension known as the Midnight Stage.

Read our review of Persona 4: Dancing All Night.

11. Persona 5 (2016) / Persona 5 Royal (2019)

The fifth mainline entry in the series, Persona 5 hit shelves in Japan in 2016 before launching worldwide in 2017. Taking players to Tokyo, it casts them as a new protagonist known as Joker, who finds himself on probation after being framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Attending the local high school, Joker and his friends discover a supernatural alternate dimension, which allows them to infiltrate mystical palaces and change the hearts of evil-doers around the city.

Before long, the group becomes notorious on the streets of Tokyo, going under the alias of the Phantom Thieves. The game builds heavily off the formula established by Persona 3 and 4, including massive story-focused levels that unfold over a month, the return of the negotiation system and a new dungeon system known as Mementos. Persona 5 launched the franchise into the stratosphere, quickly becoming Atlus' best-selling game of all time and cultivating a huge fan base.

Read our review of Persona 5 Royal.

12. Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth (2018)

A sequel to Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, New Cinema Labyrinth once again depicts a crossover between various Persona characters. After the Phantom Thieves find themselves trapped in a movie theater, they ally with Persona 3's S.E.E.S team and Persona 4's Investigation Squad to find an escape, traveling into the movies on the screen in an attempt to fix their endings.

Much like the original game, Persona Q2 simultaneously takes place during the Persona 3, 4 and 5 storylines, with the adventure pulling each group out of their respective timeline. There, they explore dungeons from a first-person perspective and fight turn-based battles against various enemies.

13. Persona 5 Tactica (2023)

Taking place during the events of Persona 5, Persona 5 Tactica is a strategy-focused spin-off that’s similar in style to the XCOM franchise. The story follows the Phantom Thieves mysteriously traveling to an alternate realm known as the Kingdoms. Unable to escape, Joker and Morgana are forced to abandon the rest of the Phantom Thieves after they're brainwashed by the realm's monstrous ruler, Tyrant Marie, forcing the pair to begin an adventure to save their allies and return home.

Along the way, they team up with the local resistance, helping them fight against Tyrant Marie's forces. The game revolves around a tactical grid-based combat system, as players direct three units across the battlefield and take out enemies.

Read our review of Persona 5 Tactica.

14. Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (2018)

Atlus’ third rhythm-based dancing spin-off, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight sees Caroline and Justine bring the Phantom Thieves to the Velvet Room and challenge them to a dance off. There, the group perform dance routines to several of Persona 5's catchiest tracks.

15. Persona 5 Strikers (2020)

A spin-off set four months after the events of Persona 5, Strikers sees the Phantom Thieves reunite for a summer vacation. However, the team find themselves sucked into the Metaverse after using an app known as EMMA. Escaping with the help of a new ally, the team don their Phantom Thieves gear once more and set out to discover the truth behind EMMA, the Metaverse, and what it means for the people of Tokyo.

Persona 5 Strikers is a crossover with the long-running Dynasty Warriors franchise, introducing real-time combat to the series. Battles center around the Phantom Thieves taking on large hordes of enemies, which they can deal with through combos or by calling on Personas.

Read our review of Persona 5 Strikers.

16. Persona 5: The Phantom X (2025)

The most recent Persona release is yet another spin-off of Persona 5. This one's a bit funky. Developed by Black Wings Game Studio, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a free-to-play game with microtransactions (otherwise known as a gacha gama) that takes place in 'alternate timeline' to Persona 5 itself. You take on the role of Wonder, a high school student who, of course, awakens his Persona and gains access to the Metaverse.

Read our review of Persona 5: The Phantom X.

What's Next for Persona?

After the massive success of Metaphor: ReFantazio (it picked up quite a few awards), Sega announced their desire to keep investing in Atlus, and the Persona IP in particular, in a developers' Q&A session.

Persona 4 Revival was announced at a the 2025 Xbox Showcase, a new remake of the game that originally released on PS2 in 2008 before being remastered as Persona 4 Golden in 2012. The remake is scheduled for release on February 18, 2027, and will be available Day One on Xbox Game Pass.

That's not all. We finally have confirmation that Persona 6 is real. A short teaser gives us a glimpse at least at some cool aesthetics in classic Atlus style, and there's no word on a release date. But it's real! Here's a breakdown of everything we know so far, which includes, in classic Atlus fashion, some good ol' leaks.

In the meantime, the Phantom Thieves from P5R continue to pop up in pretty much every franchising opportunity they can, most recently as skins in Overwatch 2. Outside of games, Netflix has confirmed development on a live-action Persona TV show. Interesting, I know.

Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most iconic video game series of all time. Starting on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, The Legend of Zelda follows various incarnations of Princess Zelda and Link as they fight to save Hyrule from the evil that is Ganon. While the series has always been popular, the Nintendo Switch has catapulted Zelda into one of Nintendo's best-selling properties with landmark titles in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Echoes of Wisdom released toward the end of the original Nintendo Switch's life cycle, but Nintendo has already revealed quite a bit about the next generation of adventures in Hyrule. Here's every Legend of Zelda game on the Nintendo Switch as well as new Zelda games coming to the Switch 2.

How Many Zelda Games Are on Nintendo Switch?

In total, five Zelda games, three Hyrule Warriors games, and one spin-off game have been released specifically for the Nintendo Switch. This includes both mainline entries and spinoff games that were released from 2017 to 2026. All of these Zelda games are playable on the Switch 2. The Ocarina of Time remake, releasing this November, will be the first Zelda game exclusive to the newer console.

All Zelda Switch Games in Order of Release Date

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda title released for Nintendo Switch. Launching alongside the system, this title marked a turning point in the Zelda series, bringing a style of open world gameplay that we'd never seen before. You can traverse to anywhere you can see in the world. Link awakes after a 100 year slumber, where he is tasked by the spirit of Hyrule's former King to save Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon - a primal evil trapped inside Hyrule Castle.

Read our original review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or see what we thought of the Switch 2 version.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - 2018

Hyrule Warriors is an action hack and slash title developed by Omega Force and originally released for the Wii U. Characters from all kinds of Zelda games make an appearance, whether as playable characters or villains. The game was brought over to Nintendo Switch in 2018 in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and includes all characters, stages, and modes from the original game in addition to Breath of the Wild inspired costumes for Link and Zelda.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.

Cadence of Hyrule - 2019

Cadence of Hyrule is an extremely unqiue collaboration between Brace Yourself Games and Nintendo. The game combines the roguelike rhythm gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer with the world of The Legend of Zelda and its characters. This spinoff offers an incredible soundtrack and beautiful pixelated graphics. Up against Octavo, a musical villain, Zelda and Link team up with Cadence to thwart his plans and save the Hyrule.

Read our review of Cadence of Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a remake of 1993 Game Boy title developed by Grezzo. This charming platformer sees Link castaway at Koholint Island, where he must solve the mystery of the Wind Fish, a legendary being said to be on the island. Unlike some of the more modern Zelda titles, Link's Awakening takes you across many different dungeons and areas to collect the Instruments of the Sirens. If you never got the chance to play the original Link's Awakening, this is the definitive way to experience one of the Zelda series' most unique titles.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - 2020

The second Switch entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, Age of Calamity is set 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here, you can experience firsthand the events that occured in the fight against Calamity Ganon. All of your favorite Breath of the Wild cahracters are here and playable, including Link, Zelda, the Champions, and so many more. Omega Force created a fun and expansive title, with two waves of DLC you can check out after completing the main story.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD - 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You'll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. The remaster includes the iconic motion controls you can operate with the Joy-Con and a new button-only gameplay style for those looking to play without motion.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit the market in 2023, selling over 10 million copies in just three days as well as quite a few special edition Switch consoles. Set a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild, Link is tasked once again with finding Princess Zelda after Ganondorf is resurrected. Tears of the Kingdom takes to both the skies of Hyrule and the depths below the land. This creates one of the largest maps you'll find in any game, leaving for hundreds of hours of exploration to be had. All in all, it's the best Zelda game of all time and a hard one to follow.

Read our original review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or see what we thought about the Switch 2 version.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - 2024

But, of course, Tears of the Kingdom was not the end of this beloved Nintendo franchise on the original Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct before launching on the Switch in the fall later that year. While Echoes has the titular Princess take the story's reigns, and features a more 2D art style à la Link's Awakening, it should not be mistaken as a spin-off or side project. This is a full-blown, magical Zelda game, that lets you unlock your creativity to try and save Link and the rest of Hyrule in entirely new ways.

Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment - 2025

The latest Zelda-adjacent release is a new entry in the Hyrule Warriors series. Nintendo has heavily emphasized that the story is canon, giving us a deeper look at the Imprisoning War in what is essentially a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom. You get to play as a spread of different characters, including Princess Zelda, who has been sent into Hyrule's past and must work with new allies in the fight against Ganandorf.

Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Available Zelda Games With Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

If you're interested in checking out some of the older Zelda titles, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service has loads of Zelda titles from Nintendo's older consoles. Here is every Zelda game currently available on the service:

• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Four Swords
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker*

*On the GameCube library exclusive to the Switch 2

What's Next for Zelda on Switch 2?

There hasn't been any word on new mainline Legend of Zelda games... unless you count a pretty massive Ocarina of Time remake. Yep, it's real, and it's coming to Switch 2 on November 5. We got a pretty good look at the new graphics and gameplay in a recent Nintendo Direct dedicated entirely to the Zelda franchise. The Ocarina of Time remake is now up for preorder as a Switch 2 exclusive, and is being accompanied by a new Zelda-themed Switch 2 console and Pro controller.

Upcoming Zelda Movie

In addition to the games themselves, Nintendo has also announced they will be bringing Hyrule to the big screen with a live-action Legend of Zelda movie. In terms of details, the movie's director, Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), has expressed his desire to make a more "grounded" Zelda adaptation that feels like live-action Miyazaki. The Zelda movie will be releasing in theaters on March 26, 2027 and Nintendo has officially confirmed the actors playing both Link and Zelda.

See the full list of upcoming Switch games for everything coming to the system.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

Nintendo has confirmed that it intentionally included loading screens in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake to "preserve the essence of the original game," and the internet isn't in love with the idea.

Confirmation that loading screens would cut into the remake's playtime arrived during a gameplay demonstration shown as part of today's The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct. It's an extremely brief moment that saw series producer Eiji Aonuma confirm that the Ocarina of Time remake will channel the power of the Nintendo 64 when it launches for Nintendo Switch 2 this November.

"By the way, there's a loading screen whenever you move between areas," Aonuma said as Link and Navi traveled from Kokiri Forest to Hyrule Field. "This is something we intentionally kept to preserve the essence of the original game."

Let's take a second to break down the footage. In the 1998 Ocarina of Time, as well as so many other games before and after it, loading screens allowed developers to pause the experience and load new areas for the player to explore. With the exception of some cutscenes before and after the original transition between Kokiri Forest and Hyrule Field, players really only had control of Link taken away for a few seconds.

The Ocarina of Time remake appears to be a bit more seamless. It's unclear if Aonuma's demo will play out the same as the full release, but here, we see the player in control of Link before a black screen consumes the visuals. It and a small Triforce logo in the bottom right corner are on-screen for about three seconds before Young Link trots back into view.

Massive changes to the art style aside, Nintendo's decision to "preserve the essence" of 1998's groundbreaking adventure game seems to mostly line up. That said, in the nearly 30 years since that game came out, players have adapted to an advancing industry that often attempts to hide its loading screens – and that's if a game has them, at all.

Nintendo intentionally left some loading screen sections in the Ocarina of Time Remake to preserve the feel of the OG. pic.twitter.com/JBRtLfitq4

— Kabi (@KabiPlays) September 8, 2026

Choosing to intentionally include loading screens in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has players split. While some love the idea of a reimagining that pays homage to '90s N64 gaming, others see the breaks between gameplay as not only a silly addition but a confusing one, too. Some even suspect Nintendo included the loading screens because it needed them on the Switch 2, and not because it wanted them.

"Loading times in to preserve feel?" one fan said. "Lol I don't believe that for a second. It's fine that they are in there but don't say that's why you did it, Nintendo."

"'Loading times/screen still in the game between areas, added intentional to preserve feel of the game,' I'm sorry, what? Lmao," one fan said. "That's stupid."

"I didn’t mind that," another argued. "It makes the areas feel more apart and contrasted. That and also the loading screens are two seconds, so who gives a s**t."

pic.twitter.com/jmljZyfW1U

— Kish 🇭🇹 (@kishswim) September 8, 2026

“The loading screen is intentional to keep the nostalgia of the original game”
Legend of Zelda direct making me laugh pic.twitter.com/9yKxMKNZav

— ducky (@duckyjrtwitch) September 8, 2026

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches for Switch 2 November 5, 2026. It'll have more than redone load screens when it arrives, with players also still coming to grips with the wild changes Nintendo made to the game's visuals. For more of what we saw during The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, you can read about the Link & Epona Lego set and the special edition console. For everything else revealed, click here.

Nintendo has revealed Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo for its The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.

Both toys-to-life collectibles are expected to launch sometime in 2027, meaning it will be at least a few months after the game itself actually launches for Nintendo Switch 2 come November 5, 2026. The Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo will unlock special in-game masks based on the original Nintendo 64 Ocarina of Time that released in 1998.

It’s not exactly a surprise to see Nintendo’s new remake get two amiibo of its own, but it’s certainly still the kind of thing fans will want to keep an eye out for in the months ahead. While we wait to see everything they’ll be able to add to the experience, you can see new screenshots below.

More information about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake amiibo was revealed on Nintendo's website. You can see descriptions for each figure below.

Young Link: "This younger incarnation is from the Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time game for the Nintendo Switch™ 2 system and depicts him sitting with his companion fairy, Navi."

Young Zelda: "This amiibo figure depicts Zelda as a young princess in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time game for the Nintendo Switch 2 system. She sits holding the Ocarina of Time itself, which she will one day impart to Link to aid him in his quest."

After a few months without too much news, Nintendo is rolling out the red carpet for The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary. In addition to today's Ocarina of Time remake amiibo and the game they work with, we also learned about a new series of concerts, a special edition Nintendo Switch 2, themed changes to the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan, a Link & Epona Lego set, and more.

Nintendo also reminded collectors that the Mineru's Construct figure launches September 17, 2026. For everything else announced during The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, you can click right here.

Nintendo has revealed an Ocarina of Time-themed Lego Link & Epona set as part of its The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct.

The set was unveiled along with a series of other events, merchandise, and more that the company is set to roll out through the rest of 2026 and part of 2027. It’s unclear when exactly the Lego Link and Epona set will join other previously released sets for the series with an official launch.

You can see a first look at the Lego Link and Epona set below.

Nintendo revealed additional details about its new The Legend of Zelda Lego in a press release following today's Direct. It confirmed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Link & Epona is a 1,750-piece set and described it as a "collectible display model for adults."

It is expected to launch spring 2027. Its price, unfortunately, has not been revealed, but sets like these can typically be pretty expensive.

The two The Legend of Zelda Lego releases Nintendo has launched previously may offer a bit of insight into just how much Link & Epona will cost. The Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle set, which features minifigs for Link and Zelda, as well as a full-size Ganon build, is 1,003 pieces and is priced at $129.99. The much larger 2-in-1 Great Deku Tree is 2,500 pieces and is priced at a whopping $299.99.

The Link & Epona Lego falls squarely between those two sets, suggesting the adult-angled collectible's price may fall somewhere in between them, too. Again, though, Nintendo has not revealed any additional details about it quite yet.

In addition to a closer look at its Ocarina of Time remake, Nintendo also used its The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct to reveal more festivities centered around its big anniversary. Some of the other announcements from today's show include a Zelda-themed Nintendo Switch 2, additions to the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan, amiibo, new playable Ocarina, a series of concerts for the anniversary, and more. For everything else announced during The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, you can click right here.