Dragon Age writer David Gaider has shared his thoughts on the "lackluster" and "soulless" nature of procedurally generated AI dialogue, while also predicting failure for developers who can't forsee the technology's current limitations.

“Ah, yes. The dream of procedural content generation,” tweeted Gaider in reference to a new Guardian article discussing the potential applications of AI scriptwriting in future video games. “Even BioWare went through several iterations of this: ‘what if we didn't need every conversation to be bespoke?’ Unlimited playtime with dialogue being procedurally created alongside procedural quests!”

The Guardian article focused in part on a game demo called Smallville, which used an artificial intelligence (AI) called ChatGPT to generate conversations amongst a population of 25 NPCs as the characters went about their simulated lives in a sandbox world.

Joon Sung Park, one of the authors of the research, believes that smaller indie developers could start adopting AI like ChatGPT in their development process in as little as a year and a half, with wider uptake of the tech possible in around five years time. As it stands, integrating AI into a video game in any significant way is a costly prospect, which is fraught with potential problems.

Ah, yes. The dream of procedural content generation. Even BioWare went through several iterations of this: "what if we didn't need every conversation to be bespoke?" Unlimited playtime with dialogue being procedurally created alongside procedural quests! https://t.co/iTLAFgRDUk

— David Gaider (@davidgaider) May 29, 2023

However, during a lengthy Twitter thread, Gaider remained sceptical of the short term application of AI in games. While describing his own experiences of working with the tech, the veteran developer noted that his team at BioWare “collectively believed” multiple times that procedurally generated AI conversation and content could work. However, according to Gaider, each time this was attempted the end results were found to be “lackluster” and “soulless”.

He went on to note that future developers might well come to the conclusion that AI tools can generate decent situation specific content if fed the right input, but it is not a sentiment that he himself shares. “The issue wasn't the lines,” Gaider explained.. “It was that procedural content generation of quests results in something shaped like a quest. It has the beats you need for one, sure, but the end result is no better than your typical ‘bring me 20 beetle heads’ MMO quest.”

Gaider proceeded to say that developers who convince themselves that A.I. is capable of generating deep, bespoke narratives, as opposed to what he describes as “superficial content that covers the bases but goes no further”, are liable to fall short.

“I say such an A.I. will do exactly as we did: it'll create something *shaped* like a narrative, constructed out of stored pieces it has ready... because that's what it does,” tweeted Gaider. “That is, however, not going to stop a lot of dev teams from thinking it can do more. And they will fail.”

He also believes that the lure of procedurally-generated AI content will be too powerful to resist for teams working on certain genres. “The fact these dev teams will fail doesn't mean they won't TRY,” predicted Gaider. “Expect to see it. It's too enticing for them not to, especially in MMO's and similar where they feel players aren't there for deep narrative anyhow. A lot of effort is going to be wasted on this.”

Some leading figures in the entertainment industry and select game developers have already signaled their interest in utilizing AI, with Disney CEO Bob Iger going so far as to say that the technology's implementation could be "disruptive". Earlier this year Ubisoft introduced a new AI script writing tool called Ghostwriter, ostensibly with the goal of helping human writers create more believable lines — also known as barks — for its NPCs.

However, as noted in the Guardian piece, numerous others have voiced their unwillingness to incorporate AI writing into their games, citing artistic objections and worries over issues like accidental plagiarism, alongside the simple fact that some, like Gaider, simply find the end result to be disappointing.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

It might not have created the genre, but fighting games wouldn’t be as important and popular as they are today without Street Fighter. This is a series that introduced the idea of combos, a six-button layout, and motion inputs for special moves. It also helped build a competitive scene for fighting games, it made the arcade scene rise in the 90s, and it revitalized the genre in the era of online play.

With each main entry, Street Fighter tried to create something new or focus in a new direction that would make other iconic fighting game franchises, such as Mortal Kombat or The King of Fighters, pay attention. However, the series surpassed its walls and became a cultural phenomenon, with its well-known roster appearing in different types of media and even games outside of the fights, like Fortnite.

In this article, you’ll find a chronology of the series if you’re interested in playing each entry from the start and following its intricate story.

Jump to:

• How to play chronologically
• How to play by release date

How Many Street Fighter Games Are There?

Since the original Street Fighter was released in 1987, Capcom has launched five main entries in the series, with their respective sequels and special versions and rereleases on multiple platforms and arcade systems. Most of the time, each version came with new characters, modes, balances in the whole roster, and other unique features.

While the original Street Fighter only has two versions (the original arcade one and the one ported to consoles), Street Fighter II spawned seven different versions since its debut in 1991, the most recent one being the Switch-exclusive Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (2017). The following main entry has three releases: Street Fighter III: New Generation, 2nd Impact, and Third Strike. 2008’s Street Fighter IV has appeared in the market three more times with Super Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, and Ultra Street Fighter IV. Lastly, Street Fighter V also received a couple of big updates after its initial launch in 2016: Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

Apart from the main series, the Alpha subseries was pretty popular in its time. Three games were released under this title: Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors Dream, Street Fighter Alpha 2, and Street Fighter Alpha 3. A second subseries, called Street Fighter EX, was co-developed by Capcom and Arika. It features another trilogy of games, for the first time in 3D.

If we include the crossovers, spin-offs, and characters’ special appearances in other series, the list keeps getting bigger. There’s the film tie-in called Street Fighter: The Movie, the puzzle game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, its fighting game spin-off Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix (also called Pocket Fighters), and the most recent mobile entry, Street Fighter: Duel, available on Android.

The Vs. series has seen numerous entries in its history. From the well-received X-Men Vs. Street Fighter in 1997 to the inclusion of multiple characters of the franchise in every of the “Vs. Capcom” series, with Marvel Vs. Capcom being the most popular one. Ryu and the World Warriors also faced Tekken’s characters in Street Fighter X Tekken, and there’s an interesting platformer spin-off that was originally fanmade, called Street Fighter X Mega Man.

Before going in with the list of main titles, it’s worth mentioning that the timeline of the canon Street Fighter titles is not very consistent. There are incoherences in some individual character stories between entries, restarting plots or characters being death and then alive, among other things. However, the following is the most accepted timeline in the series.

Street Fighter Games in Chronological Order

Beware of spoilers for the stories, characters, and relevant events of each game in the list below.

1. Street Fighter (1987)

The game that started it all, Street Fighter doesn’t go deep in terms of presenting a story. You can only play as the iconic characters Ryu and Ken, looking to battle fighters in five different countries: Japan, England, the United States, China, and Thailand. The latter is where the final challengers are, Adon and Sagat.

Sagat, a master of Muay Thai, fights Ryu to see who’s the best fighter in the world in a tournament. Our protagonist Ryu wins the battle, leaving Sagat with a prominent scar on his chest, furious, and searching for revenge in the future.

2. Street Fighter Alpha: Warrior’s Dreams (1995)

In the first entry in the Alpha subseries, Warrior’s Dreams, Sagat is back and ready to take revenge on the man who defeated him. However, Alpha presents many more relevant characters than the original Street Fighter, including the iconic antagonist M. Bison.

M. Bison is creating an evil organization, Shadaloo, while other characters from different backgrounds, such as Chun-Li, Charlie (Guile’s mate), and Rose try to stop him. Adon, Sagat’s former apprentice, is looking to beat his master, and the new character Dan Hibiki also wants a piece, since Sagat killed his father. Meanwhile, Ryu is looking for Akuma, a devilish warrior that murdered Gouken, Ryu’s and Ken’s mentor.

3. Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996)

Alpha 2 is mostly a reimagination of the previous one. Akuma and M. Bison continue to be the antagonist, fighting Ryu until death and establishing the criminal syndicate Shadaloo, respectively. These stories are more fleshed-out though, as Ryu’s encounter against Akuma involves a battle on Akuma’s island, which is destroyed by its owner by the power of a single fist. On his side, M. Bison keeps recruiting people for his organization, with the aim of obtaining Ryu’s body.

New characters like Dhalsim, Zangief, and Sakura get introduced. Raised in India, Dhalsim becomes the Yoga Master, a being capable of stretching his limbs in absurd ways, while raising money for his poor village. The Red Cyclone Zangief is a well-known figure in his land, Russia, thanks to his endeavors in showing the power of his country. Sakura is Ryu’s number one fan, and she drops out of school to start a journey and meet her idol.

4. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998)

Some of the storylines presented in this subseries end in Street Fighter Alpha 3. M. Bison gains control of Ryu, who is in another state of mind with the evil force Satsui no Hado, while he also has the Psycho Drive, a machine capable of erasing complete towns.

Sagat confronts Ryu one more time, Guile, Chun-Li, and Charlie want to finish M. Bison, and other characters like Dan Hibiki gets their time to shine.

5. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991)

Arguably the most popular game in the series, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (and its multiple versions) revolve around the same setting: M. Bison is back, and he is hosting a world tournament that welcomes the best fighters from different parts of the globe.

His plan is still the same: to raise Shadaloo and recruit the best fighters for his side. While every character has a different reason to participate in the tournament and take out M. Bison, Akuma is the one that actually confronts this evil force.

6. Street Fighter IV (2008)

It turns out that M. Bison is still alive after his death battle with Akuma. However, he is not the main antagonist in Street Fighter IV. Instead, that’s the role of Seth, one of the many beings created by M. Bison, and also an important part of Shadaloo.

Seth wants to become the ultimate warrior and to do so, he hosts a new world tournament for only the strongest beings. He wants to copy their power, as this is one of his special abilities.

Outside of the tournament, it is discovered that Gouken, Ken’s and Ryu’s master, is alive, and he’s ready for a final fight with Akuma.

7. Street Fighter V (2016)

In Street Fighter V, Shadaloo is far from over. The criminal organization is about to proceed with a plan called Operation C.H.A.I.N.S, which consists of seven artificial satellites (Black Moons) that are capable of launching an EMP on Earth. This time, the newly introduced F.A.N.G is one of the main minds behind Shadaloo, alongside the returning M. Bison.

Different teams of returning characters from the series as Karin (Alpha 3), Birdie (SF II), Rainbow Mika (Alpha 3), and others create an alliance to stop Shadaloo one more time. New fighters like Rashid are also allies, and Charlie returns from the dead.

Meanwhile, Necalli is a mythic figure that feeds on the soul of fighters, and he encounters Ryu on his way.

8. Street Fighter III: New Generation (1997)

Street Fighter III: New Generation and its two sequels are a fresh start in the series. The seemingly unstoppable Shadaloo is done for good, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t a new organization ready to take its place. The Illuminati, led by the new antagonist Gill, also has plans for the whole world.

How does Gill plan to achieve his goals? You guessed it: by hosting a new world tournament and looking out for the best warriors from different backgrounds. With much of the main roster gone, the SF III series features Alex as its main protagonist and lots of fresh faces, such as Ibuki, Yun, Yang, Oro, Dudley, Sean, and Elena. Of the legendary characters, only Ryu and Ken make their return in New Generation.

How to Play the Street Fighter Games By Release Date

• Street Fighter
• Street Fighter II
• Street Fighter Alpha
• Street Fighter Alpha 2
• Street Fighter III: New Generation
• Street Fighter III: Second Impact
• Street Fighter Alpha 3
• Street Fighter III: Third Strike
• Street Fighter IV
• Street Fighter V

What’s Next for Street Fighter?

The series is more alive now than ever with the upcoming launch of Street Fighter 6 on June 2, 2023. The sixth main entry in the franchise takes place after the events of the Street Fighter III series, meaning it will be the most recent entry in terms of the timeline. After the game launches, it’s expected to be supported for years to come, with the first season pass, Year 1 Character Pass, already announced.

Apart from video games, Legendary Entertainment has already announced a live-action film is in the work, co-produced with Capcom. A TV series might also be a possibility since the studio acquired the TV rights to the series, too.

Also see the Street Fighter merch including awesome pixel frame art you can buy from IGN Store:

Axel Bosso is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything related to video games.

In March, Minecraft revealed new details about its 1.20 Trails and Tales update, which emphasizes "self-expression through representation, storytelling, and worldbuilding." Now, the update finally has a release date.

Today, Minecraft made a blog post revealing that Trails and Tales will be downloadable for free on June 7. The blog post also delves into the details of the update, which introduces quite a few new mobs and blocks, as well as some minor changes catered toward storytelling.

Trails and Tales brings the long-awaited camel, which can fit two riders, and the sniffer, the "gentle giant" that the community voted for during Minecraft Live 2022. It also introduces two new wood sets: bamboo and cherry, the latter of which is found in the cherry grove (the update's new biome).

Your journey is about to begin: The Trails & Tales Update arrives June 7! 🎉

Get ready to bring your stories to life, whether you're hatching a sniffer, exploring a cherry grove, trimming your armor, or much more. Mark your calendars and start planning! pic.twitter.com/jPNe0nyMdb

— Minecraft (@Minecraft) May 26, 2023

Also included in the update is archaeology, its main new mechanic, which allows players to dig through sand to find tools and pieces of pottery that can be put together.

Trails and Tales also introduces armor trims, which allow for more customization. The update will also include a few more minor changes to decorative blocks, including hangable signs, playable mob sounds, and the ability to store enchanted books in a new type of bookshelf.

We gave Minecraft a 9 in our 2011 review, calling it "an open world, a blank page just daring you to jump in and do with it what you will." The game has expanded a lot since then, though, so for more on Minecraft's newer features, find the game's complete history here and find ideas for what to build in 2023 here.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Arrowhead officially announced a sequel to its 2015 top-down shooter Helldivers, and it's coming to PS5 and PC later this year.

Little else was revealed about Helldivers 2, including a release date beyond 2023. It also debuted a brief trailer, which showed off the original's popular four-player co-op. The trailer went with a third-person experience, as opposed to the top-down view of the original.

Helldivers took place in what's called "Super Earth," and the player acts as a citizen that joins a commando team tasked with fighting aliens in various biomes. It immediately drew comparisons to Starship Troopers, the 1959 novel of the same name and 1997 Paul Verhoeven film adaptation, even opening with something of an homage to the latter with a propaganda video.

Helldivers was largely well received, with reviewers and fans particularly praising the co-op action. IGN gave it a 9/10, saying it "isn’t the prettiest game you can play on PS4, PS3 or Vita, but Helldivers is one of the most exhilarating, and you’ll get all three versions for the price of one."

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

In Final Fantasy XVI, the flavor text for items in your inventory don’t just tell you what that item does, but also where it comes from, and/or how it is used by the people of Valisthea. This expanded description of each item was inspired by FromSoftware games like Dark Souls, among others.

These pieces of item text were written by Localization Director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, which means the text originates in English – which is rare for the long-running Japanese RPG franchise.

“At that point, we had finished the script, and I had a little bit of extra time,” Fox explains to IGN during an exclusive interview at Square Enix’s Tokyo office. “The lore team was busy doing all of this other stuff, so I was asked to write the item text.”

While writing the item text, Fox says he was inspired by FromSoftware’s games, as well as Magic: The Gathering cards.

“I have been a big FromSoftware fan since Demon’s Souls, and I’ve obviously played games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring as well,” says Fox. “In their games, the item text is displayed on loading screens, so I’d read those and think, ‘Yeah this is cool!’ That and also Magic: The Gathering cards, on which you don’t only have an explanation of what the card does but also that flavor text which is usually some quote from this mysterious magician that lived a thousand years ago or a little bit of the history of the game.”

Fox wanted to have the same feel for the item text in Final Fantasy XVI, allowing the player to learn more about the game’s setting and lore.

“I didn’t want it to be like, Copper sword: A sword that was made of copper,’” he explains. “I wanted to answer questions like, ‘Where is it being used?’ ‘Where is that copper coming from in the realm?’ to give a bit more background story.

“In most games, nobody reads the item text. It's kind of a throwaway thing, but FromSoftware turned it into something people want to read. We definitely wanted to have a similar type of experience in Final Fantasy XVI, and I think we’ve been doing the same thing in Final Fantasy XIV as well. It’s just something we think is really important.”

While Final Fantasy XVI’s main story is about protagonist Clive and his comrades, the realm of Valisthea is packed with lore and history. Creative Director Kazutoyo Maehiro, who also wrote the original story and script, created the setting for Valisthea before writing the main story. Ranging from history to geography and culture, the setting is packed with lore to discover.

April’s State of Play showcase revealed that in the game’s hub area, the Hideaway, Clive can learn more about the world’s lore through talking with various NPCs. Side quests and NPC dialogue will likely teach us more about the world too, and it seems that if you want to uncover Valisthea’s deepest secrets, the item text shouldn’t be ignored either.

Final Fantasy XVI releases on June 22 for PlayStation 5. For more on Final Fantasy XVI, check out how the development team were inspired by Dragon Quest V, why Chocobos are referred to as horses in the Japanese version, and the reason the team chose not to include mini-games.

Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. His favorite game in the series is Final Fantasy X. After taking an X-ray, he learned that his body was made out of Shenmue. This inspired him to write this piece of flavor text.

Star Wars prequel trilogy star Natalie Portman is up for returning to Star Wars as Padmé Amidala if Lucasfilm asked her to.

Responding to fan questions for GQ's Actually Me series, Portman replied to a Reddit post that asked if the character could ever return. "I have no information on this," she said. "No one's ever asked me to return, but I'm open to it."

Though her character's main story was completed in Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, the potential return of Padmé would follow in the footsteps of co-stars Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor, who played Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi respectively.

The following paragraphs feature mild spoilers for the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series.

Both actors returned in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, reprising their prequel trilogy roles 17 years after their previous appearances in Revenge of the Sith. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace star Liam Neeson also returned as Qui-Gon Jinn in the series.

Padmé's story has also continued in other Star Wars media, such as a trilogy of young adult novels and in the Clone Wars TV show.

Portman also mentioned during the video that she stole one of Anakin's padawan braid's from Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (and proceeded to lose it), and she confirmed that Taika Waititi forgot she'd already starred in the franchise when he asked if she'd be up for doing a Star Wars film.

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

HoYoverse released Genshin Impact in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly three years ago, and it has become a major hit in the gaming industry. This free-to-play anime RPG from China allows players to explore the vast world of Teyvat as a traveler separated from their twin in another world and interact with — as well as play as — a wide variety of characters whose combat moves are based on elements, like earth, wind, fire, water, and electricity.

Although the story is about a traveler (male or female, depending on your choice) working to find their sibling, Genshin Impact becomes more about exploring the seven nations of Teyvat, learning of their cultures and customs, and fighting the monsters that reside in those nations and less about the eventual family reunion. This game has won numerous awards (including Player’s Voice at The Game Awards 2022) and spawned loads of fan art and animations.

But for those who want to take a break from Genshin Impact and play something similar, here are 10 games you can check out.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild is the one Zelda game that kicked off a generation of open-world games outside the series that were inspired by its gameplay mechanics and/or art style, and Genshin Impact draws plenty of inspiration from it. Link wakes up after a century of slumber with no memory of anything that happened to him, and is tasked with saving Princess Zelda and stopping Calamity Ganon from destroying Hyrule and the world.

Nintendo gave players permission to complete the game’s story in a nonlinear fashion, giving them ample room to explore the vast landscape on the ground and in the air and experiment with various gameplay elements.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

In Ubisoft’s interpretation of Greek mythology, Typhon has escaped from his imprisonment in the underworld and robbed the Olympian gods of their powers and essences, causing Zeus to flee to Prometheus, who he chained to the mountain as punishment, for help to defeat him. Prometheus makes a deal with Zeus that if a mortal can beat Typhon, he will be freed from his imprisonment, thus he tells the story of Fenyx, a mortal who must stop Typhon after escaping the underworld in order to save their brother.

Fenyx gains the powers of the gods as the game progresses, such as Ares’ Wrath, and can upgrade their weapons. The one gameplay element that makes Immortals Fenyx Rising stand out from Genshin Impact is the player’s ability to change Fenyx’s gender (Fenyx is female by default), voice, and appearance. Genshin only allows you to choose characters of different genders. Aside from that, players need to monitor their stamina during combat so that they don’t get exhausted after repeated attacks.

Sonic Frontiers

You might think that Sonic Frontiers is leagues apart from Genshin Impact, but the lovable blue hedgehog’s latest outing couldn’t be any more different. Sonic and his friends get sucked into Cyber Space via a wormhole en route to Starfall Islands, and he manages to escape while they’re stuck in the digital world, hence why they appear to Sonic in pixelated form when he rescues them.

Frontiers is similar to Genshin Impact in that Sonic has the stamina gauge next to him every time he boosts or goes underwater, is able to climb up structures, has a skill tree, and experiences the day-cycle, and has a navigation system that leads him the desired destination. Not to mention that the puzzles and challenges he completes reveal more locations.

Final Fantasy 14

Final Fantasy 14 takes place five years after the events of the original 2010 game, which was a critical and commercial failure for Square Enix. The gods bless the player character to time travel five years into the future in order to escape the destruction of Eorzea caused by the primal dragon Bahamut, and must face the threat of invasion from the Garlean Empire as they are working to rebuild the land.

Unlike Genshin Impact, FF14 is an MMORPG where players interact with each other but still allows them a great deal of open-world exploration. However, the one thing the game has in common with Genshin is that it has a games-as-a-service model that contains gacha items for people to spend real money on if in-game currency doesn’t cover it. FF14 has also received four expansions in the last 10 years: Heavensward (2015), Stormblood (2017), Shadowbringers (2019), and Endwalker (2021).

Persona 5

Developed by Atlus, Persona 5 centers on a high school student under the pseudonym Joker who, after transferring to a new school after being falsely accused of assault and placed on probation, manifests a Persona along with some other students, prompting them to become vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They dive into a supernatural realm created by humanity’s subconscious desires called the Metaverse and steal malicious intent from the hearts of adults.

Persona 5 allows players to go into dungeons within the Metaverse called Palaces, formed by the hearts of corrupted adults that represent their distorted perception of a real-world location, to fight them and their shadows (which are their true selves). Outside of that, they get to perform part-time jobs and fulfill requests from NPCs.

Tchia

Tchia is set in a fictional archipelago heavily inspired by the Pacific Island nation of New Caledonia, where the titular 12-year-old heroine goes on a mission to rescue her father after he gets kidnapped by a tyrant and his army of paper warriors. Tchia explores her island home by sea (in her raft), by air (with a glider she builds herself), and by ground. She also gains a unique ability called soul-jumping, which allows her to possess and assume control of animals and inanimate objects in order to perform certain tasks, such as a dog or a coconut, to travel to new areas, solve puzzles, and defend herself against enemies.

The characters speak entirely in French and Drehu, two languages that are dominant in New Caledonia. Soul-jumping is also inspired by New Caledonia’s folklore around shapeshifting.

Honkai Impact 3rd

Honkai Impact 3rd is HoYoverse’s sci-fi version of Genshin Impact that takes place 50,000 years in the future in an alternate version of Earth that has been plagued by catastrophes caused by Honkai, a powerful entity that corrupts humans and endows certain people called Herrschers with god-like powers to cause an apocalypse every time a civilization gets too advanced. Three Global factions were made to combat or take advantage of the Honkai: Schicksal, which deploys Valkyries; Anti-Entropy, which uses human soldiers instead of mechas; and World Serpent, which has been manipulating events since the end of the previous civilization.

Honkai Impact 3rd incorporates multifarious genres, including bullet hell, platforming, shoot ‘em up, and dungeon crawling in conjunction with gacha mechanics that offer new weapons and characters. It also hosts limited-time seasonal events that offer gameplay elements not seen in normal gameplay modes.

Honkai: Star Rail, the sequel to Honkai Impact 3rd which takes place in space, is available now on iOS, Android, and PC via Epic Games Store.

Tales of Arise

The 17th entry in the Tales series, Tales of Arise revolves around a Dahnan slave named Alphen, a slave with no memories of his past, and Shionne, a Renan girl with a curse that makes thorns erupt from her body if anyone touches her, as they form a bond during their journey to end the Renans’ oppression of the Dahnan people.

This game has no multiplayer like its predecessors, but most of its gameplay emphasizes evasion, countering, and other character interactions in combat.

Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom

Set hundreds of years after the events of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom revolves around a young Grimalkin (part-human, part-cat) named Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, who gets deposed on his coronation day in a coup following the untimely death of his father. He sets out on a journey to build his own kingdom and unite all the world’s nations.

Players can freely explore the open world of Ni no Kuni 2, but they have to complete quests in a linear fashion to move the story forward. In battle, players can switch between three other characters at any time. There is some world-building involved, as they have to manage the workforces within the town to provide materials for weapons and armor in the shops.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a Wii U-exclusive Xenoblade title that takes places on the planet of Mira, where some of humanity flees to following the destruction of Earth by alien warfare. The player character, who suffers from amnesia after being rescued from their escape pod, becomes a member of BLADE and joins the mission to defend their new world against the Ganglion coalition — and explores their environment walking in their mechs.

Players can customize their character’s gender, voice, build and facial features at any point in the game. Just like Mondstadt serves as the hub world of Genshin Impact, New Los Angeles serves as the hub world for Xenoblade Chronicles X. Completing quests, most of which are divided into story quests, grants players experience points, elevating their stats and class.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

One of the advantages of owning an Android smartphone or tablet is a larger selection of mobile games available—compared to the Apple iPhone. Google isn’t as restrictive as Apple with the types of apps and games that you can download, so you’ll always have a wider range of gaming experiences.

However, there are millions upon millions of apps available to play on the Google Play Store, so it may be intimidating to find a good place to start. That’s where we come in.

Jump to:

• Most Popular Free iPhone Games
• Most Popular Paid iPhone Games

We rounded up the top 10 free and the top 10 paid games (20 in total) for your Android mobile device. So whether you like simple, yet challenging puzzle games, in-depth strategy MMO (massive multiplayer online) games, or just looking for something fun to play every once and a while, you’ll find a great selection of games worth playing, below:

TL;DR – These are the most popular Android games

Free Android Games

• Monopoly Go! (Free)
• 2248 - Number Puzzle Game (Free)
• Roblox (Free)
• Royal Match (Free)
• Attack Hole - Black Hole Games (Free)
• Hide and Go Seek: Monster Hunt (Free)
• Camo Sniper (Free)
• Block Blast Adventure Master (Free)
• Honkai: Star Rail (Free)
• Cooking Craze: Restaurant Game (Free)

Paid Android Games

• Minecraft ($7)
• Bloons TD 6 ($7)
• Monopoly - Classic Board Game ($4)
• SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom ($1, $10)
• Incredibox ($5)
• Garten of Banban 2 ($3)
• Stardew Valley ($5)
• Brotato: Premium ($5)
• Papers, Please ($5)
• Terraria ($5)

Most Popular Free Games

1. Monopoly Go!

Monopoly Go! is one of the most popular games on Android for a few reasons, it’s a classic that’s easy to play, quick to learn, and just flat out fun. This is the “Go!” version of the board game, which is faster-paced and more ruthless—instead of just bankrupting your opponents, you also have to destroy their properties in this take-no-prisoners mobile game.

2. 2248 - Number Puzzle Game

The app 2248 - Number Puzzle Game is easy to pick up and learn, but difficult to master. This is a swipe-and-match puzzle game where you match and merge identical numbers to clear a level.

For example: If you match four blocks of the number two, then four blocks merge into one number eight block, and then you try to match that with other number eight blocks around it, and so on and so on in sequence. The more you match and merge, then the more you can clear levels.

3. Roblox

Roblox is the ultimate online community! This is an app that combines games and social media where you can create your own games and experiences, discover other player-created games, and build just about anything they can imagine. It’s also a virtual space where you can meet and chat with others.

4. Royal Match

Save the kingdom! Royal Match is a match-three puzzle game where you match royal items to clear levels to save King Robert. Once you clear a level, you get coins to upgrade, decorate, and rebuild your kingdom.

5. Attack Hole - Black Hole Games

The object in Attack Hole is to move a black hole to swallow as many bullets, shotgun shells, grenades, guns, and more weapons down within 20 seconds. The faster you swallow, the bigger the hole gets to suck up more and more. Between each level, you have to use the ammo and weapons you collected to take down the big boss. If you take him down, you get more points and coins for upgrades and extended time to clear the next level.

6. Hide and Go Seek: Monster Hunt

Hide and Go Seek: Monster Hunt is a simple game of hide-and-seek with a group of friends, only you’re placed into a room and then transformed into an item that belongs to that specific room—like a roll of toilet paper in a bathroom. The object of the game is to stay hidden in plain sight, as a large orange monster tries to find and eat you.

7. Camo Sniper

The enemy is elusive and clever, so if you want to be the best, you have to track ‘em down and shoot ‘em. Camo Sniper is a first-person shooter game where you survey the land looking for enemy soldiers through a sniper scope. However, soldiers are designed to seamlessly blend into the background. You have to have a keen eye and steady trigger finger to win this game.

8. Block Blast Adventure Master

Block Blast Adventure Master is a puzzle game that’s a mix between a traditional block game and a grid game. Just place the blocks in the square to create a solid line. Once a line is created, it disappears to make room for more blocks. Think of it as a drag-and-drop version of Tetris without the falling blocks.

9. Honkai: Star Rail

From game developer HoYoverse, Honkai: Star Rail is a space fantasy turn-based RPG (role-playing game) that features a journey across the galaxy aboard the Astral Express, as you travel to distant planets and meet new companions to stop the evil and corrupting “Fragmentum.”

10. Cooking Craze: Restaurant Game

Travel the world through the meals you prep, cook, and serve in Cooking Craze: Restaurant Game for Android. This is a restaurant game where you grow in the kitchen ranks as a professional chef. Make burgers in New York City, fancy pastries in Paris, grill up some savory meat treats in Rio, as you try to keep your guests happy to build your business and upgrade your kitchen.

Most Popular Paid Games

1. Minecraft ($7)

At $7, Minecraft is where you can explore anywhere and build anything in an open sandbox game. Your journey and experience are all up to you! You can use blocks, items, and other materials to build your home or your village, while you can also craft weapons to defend your home or hunt animals to eat or farm. The game is only limited to your imagination.

2. Bloons TD 6 ($7)

Defend your home from invading “Bloons” in Bloons TD 6 for $7. You can use an army of hero monkeys, structures, towers, bridges, and other devices to prevent balloon-like “Bloons” from traveling from one side of the map to the other. The more Bloons you pop, the more coins you make for upgrades, extra lives, and more.

3. Monopoly - Classic Board Game ($4)

Play the classic board game Monopoly on your Android smartphone or tablet for $4. You can play as the classic game tokens—such as the car, top hat, battleship, and others—as you travel around the board buying up properties, building houses and hotels, and collecting rent via Monopoly Money. The object of the game is to bankrupt everyone, so you’re the sole winner with most of the money and properties.

4. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (on sale for $1 $10)

On sale for $1 (was $10), SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a madcap platform video game adventure where you play as SpongeBob, Patrick, or Sandy as you try to save Bikini Bottom from all sorts of killer robots.

5. Incredibox ($5)

From French game developers So Far So Good, Incredibox—which goes for $5 on the Google Play Store—is an app that’s a mix between a music app and a gaming app where you can make your own music. Just drag-and-drop the beats, effects, melodies, and even voices to create a bouncy hip-hop track with impressive and fresh visuals and animations.

6. Garten of Banban 2 ($3)

At $3, Garten of Banban 2 is a survival horror game that takes place in an underground facility under Banban’s Kindergarten classroom. You’re tasked with finding the truth behind the suspiciously empty space, while trying to survive and discover its hidden mysteries.

7. Stardew Valley ($5)

With more than 50 hours of gameplay, Stardew Valley—which is priced at $5—is a farm simulation game that has elements of open-world role-playing. Set in Pelican Town, you inherit a small house and a plot of land from your grandfather. You’re then tasked with clearing the land to grow a farm that’s full of all sorts of livestock and crops. Once you’re ready to harvest, you sell your goods to expand your farm and business with more upgrades, animals, and crops.

8. Brotato: Premium ($5)

Armed with up to six weapons at the same, Brotato: Premium is a top-down arena shooter where you play as a badass potato who fights off waves of aliens. The object of the game is to stave off threats until your platoon rescues you from an alien world, while you create and build unique weapons to survive. Not bad for $5.

9. Papers, Please ($5)

At $5, Papers, Please is a puzzle simulation game and takes place in a border town called Grestin after a six-year long war between two fictional European countries, the Communist Arstotzka and neighboring Kolechia. Think of it as East Germany and West Germany post-World War II.

You play as an immigration officer in charge of people entering the Arstotzkan side from Kolechia, while you must check and stop hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists from entering using only documents and fingerprints at the border.

10. Terraria ($5)

Terraria—which goes for $5 on the Google Play Store—is a 2D action-adventure sandbox game where you can dig, fight, explore, mine, survive, and build your very own world. It combines elements of platforming and exploration, while it’s described as a mix between Metroid and Minecraft.

What to Look for in Android Games

The Google Play Store is the primary place where Android users find and download games with nearly four million apps available. It may sound daunting to search for games, but Google’s most popular free and paid games lists are a good place to start. Here’s what to look for in Android games.

The first thing you should do is check to see if the mobile game you want to play is compatible with your Android device. Most apps in the Google Play Store require that your smartphone is running, at least, Android version 4.4 KitKat—which was released in October 2013. Older mobile devices might not be able to run most modern games.

You should also consider how much storage space is available on your device. While some games have small file sizes of only a few hundred megabytes, there are others that have very large file sizes of up to 20GB. Luckily, there are Android devices that are designed with an expansion card slot built-in. If you run out of space, you can always pop in a microSD card to add extra storage. But if your device doesn’t have an expansion slot, then you’ll have to delete a few apps, photos, or videos to free up some space or get a new smartphone with a larger capacity altogether.

Meanwhile, when it comes to price, the Google Play Store divides games into two categories: Free-to-play and paid. And while free-to-play sounds self-explanatory, it doesn’t mean these games are completely free. Free versions of games might have commercial breaks or some limitations to gameplay, while in-app purchases can upgrade or remove restrictions. For example: Cooking Craze: Restaurant Game includes in-app purchases for additional items and bundles, but purchases are not required to play this game.

Additionally, most paid games download to your Android device completely unlocked. But, it might also include in-app purchases for upgrades. For example: Monopoly has in-app purchases to unlock special editions of the game. There’s also a gaming subscription called Google Play Pass for Android users. Games available for the service include zero ads and in-app purchases, so you’re free to play without restrictions for $5/mo.

Finally, the most important thing about picking an Android game is if it’s fun to play. Whether you’re going to spend a few minutes or hours upon hours playing it on your smartphone or tablet, games have to look like a fun and immersive challenge to conquer.

Upcoming Android Games

Wondering what new games are coming down the pipeline on Android? See the biggest upcoming Android games for the latest.

Also see: the 20 most popular iPhone games right now.

Rudie Obias is a contributing freelance Tech writer and editor for IGN with a speciality in all things Apple products.

As Microsoft continues in its efforts to acquire Activision Blizzard and multiple regulators make their decisions on the deal, several publishers have now publicly voiced their thoughts on the situation. Among them, Take-Two Interactive, whose CEO voiced support for the acquisition today in conversation with IGN.

When asked for his thoughts on the deal, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed that Take-Two had supported the deal for some time, saying that it would be a positive for the company's partner, Microsoft: "What's good for them is also good for the industry."

When the CMA's recent ruling against the deal on the basis that it could cause a potential Microsoft takeover of the cloud gaming market, Zelnick reiterated past comments he had made about the technology, saying that cloud gaming is a distribution method, not a separate business. was brought up. And while new distribution methods such as cloud gaming might expand the gaming market, it's all still fundamentally a part of the larger gaming market.

"I think it's important never to confuse a distribution technology with a business model," Zelnick said. "I would love to believe that streaming our titles would massively expand the marketplace. I'm not sure there's any reason to believe that."

Previously, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said that the deal's completion or termination was "not really material" to his company. Other companies such as Nvidia have already expressed support thanks to Microsoft's ten-year deals with them for Call of Duty access, though Sony remains vehemently opposed.

Also as a part of today's earnings, we got a glimpse of the publisher's release slate for the coming year, learned that it's cancelled multiple unannounced games, and saw some enormous future business projections that have us suspicious GTA 6 may be imminent.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Take-Two has canceled several unannounced games and quietly delayed others amid what the publisher calls a "challenging consumer backdrop."

Take-Two made the announcement during today's earnings report, saying that "the development timelines of some of our titles have lengthened, especially as we strive to redefine the creative standards of excellence in our industry, which affect our release slate for the year."

Take-Two will incur a $54.2 million impairment charge in the fourth quarter "related to capitalized software development costs for unreleased and canceled console and PC titles." In May 2021, Take-Two said it was aiming to release some 62 game by 2024 across a variety of formats and platforms.

Delays and cancellations have become frequent in the games industry, impacting big-budget releases from Starfield to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Take-Two CEO: Consumers demand quality

Speaking with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick attributed the delays industry to consumer demand for excellence among other other factors.

"The best possible way to look at it is that we're all seeking quality and comsumers are demanding quality and sometimes that can take longer than expected," Zelnick said. "And another way to look at it is that we're having some productivity challenges. I think people here would say it's not all about productivity, it's about seeking excellence. I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle."

Asked to clarify "producitivity challenges," Zelnick pointed to the company's hybrid work policy, which encourages workers to be in the office three times per week but sees many work remotely.

"My own personal view is we probably do our best work when we're together in person," Zelnick said. In terms of changing the policy, Zelnick said he would "listen to and trust his colleagues" but that many senior members of the company share his view.

Hybrid work is an ongoing discussion in the games, as it is in many other industries. The decision to return to the office fulltime at Activision Blizzard, Nintendo, and other companies has spurred backlash from workers, some of whom point to the impact on raising children among other issues.

Optimism for 2024

Elsewhere, Take-Two is optimistic about its release schedule, describing the fiscal period beginning in April 2024 as a "highly anticipated year for our company" with an "incredibly robust pipeline of projects that we believe will take our company to even greater levels of success."

Take-Two claims these releases will push it over $8 billion in Net Bookings, a leap that potentially points to a GTA 6 release date in this period. For comparison, Take-Two anticipates full-year Net Bookings between $5.45 billion and $5.55 billion in the 2024 fiscal year.

In the meantime, Take-Two has numerous games in development, including GTA VI, BioShock 4, and Judas — the new game led by Ken Levine. You can find the rest of the biggest games coming in 2023 right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Publisher Take-Two Interactive may have just teased the release window for the next entry in the biggest gaming franchise of all time: Grand Theft Auto 6. It could be on the way as soon as next year.

In a press release issued alongside its yearly earnings report, Take-Two shared projections for the coming years, including a massive projection for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. For context, fiscal 2025 will begin in April of 2024:

Looking ahead, Fiscal 2025 is a highly anticipated year for our Company," the release states. "For the last several years, we have been preparing our business to release an incredibly robust pipeline of projects that we believe will take our company to even greater levels of success. In Fiscal 2025, we expect to enter this new era by launching several groundbreaking titles that we believe will set new standards in our industry and enable us to achieve over $8 billion in Net Bookings and over $1 billion in Adjusted Unrestricted Operating Cash Flow. We expect to sustain this momentum by delivering even higher levels of operating results in Fiscal 2026 and beyond.

While Take-Two doesn't explicitly name Grand Theft Auto here, it's hard to imagine any other franchise doing this work for them. For one, Take-Two's net bookings this past fiscal year reached $5.3 billion - a record annual high. Notably, this record was reached thanks to the contributions of Zynga, which it acquired last year. Prior to this, Take-Two's regular annual net bookings were looking roughly in $3 billion ballpark and steadily rising - it took the acquisition of a major mobile developer to see them leap over $1 billion in the space of a single year.

So to achieve a goal of $8 billion, Take-Two would need to make significant acquisitions, or release nearly double the amount of games it historically has, or release at least one absolute behemoth of a game. Notably, Take-Two expects to do even better in its takings the following year, something that seems impossible without something like GTA Online built on the foundations of a brand new GTA game to propel its revenue sky high. It's hard to imagine any other franchise, or even multiple new games combined, doing these kinds of numbers.

I asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about my theory on a call today ahead of its earnings announcement, and he declined to confirm or deny it, noting that it's not Take-Two's practice to talk about specific, unannounced titles in earnings reports such as this.

Grand Theft Auto V remains the best-selling single game of all time, and has consistently sold roughly five million unit per quarter for the last several years. It achieved this once again in the last quarter, bringing its total unit sales up to 180 million, and GTA Online continues to be a major revenue driver for Take-Two. Developer Rockstar confirmed that GTA 6 was in active development last year, but has otherwise officially kept quiet on its progress. A massive leak late last year showed off some of the incomplete game, but Zelnick told IGN a few months later that while this was an "emotional matter" for developers, it hadn't impacted the business.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Brendan O'Brien, the actor credited with coming up with the original voice of Crash Bandicoot, has died. He was 60.

O'Brien's death was reported in an obituary on Legacy.com, where he was remembered for his talents as both a musician and an actor. It included a brief passage about his time on Crash Bandicoot.

One of his proudest moments was coming up with the original voices for the "Crash Bandicoot" video games during the Naughty Dog years of 1996 to 2004. He encouraged nostalgic Crash fans in their own pursuits and loved signing their memorabilia. Like music, designing character voices for animation, radio and video games came naturally to him.

In the wake of the news of O'Brien's passing, other tributes appeared on social media, including one from the official Crash Bandicoot account.

"Sharing our sincere condolences to Brendan O’Brien’s loved ones for his passing. He was an incredible talent who brought Crash Bandicoot and other Crash characters to life. He will forever live on in the hearts of Crash fans," the account wrote.

Sharing our sincere condolences to Brendan O’Brien’s loved ones for his passing. He was an incredible talent who brought Crash Bandicoot and other Crash characters to life. He will forever live on in the hearts of Crash fans. https://t.co/Cp9nBeTMgU

— Crash Bandicoot (@CrashBandicoot) May 15, 2023

O'Brien's length career included appearances in Grindhouse and Riverdale, but he was best-known for his work on Crash Bandicoot, where he played numerous roles including the titular bandicoot, Doctor Neo Cortex, and Tiny Tiger. The current Crash Bandicoot voice actor is Scott Whyte, who took over the role with Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Weapon durability. It’s, somewhat ironically, a well-worn point of conversation by now. I’m not here to debate the merits of it though, but instead, to celebrate the best implementations of it. From magical worlds to ones much closer to home. From oceans full of life to lands that belong to the dead. Here are some of the best games (not ranked in any particular order) that are home to weapons with a limited lifespan and why they work so well.

10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Encouraging Experimentation

One of the great things about weapon degradation is that it requires you to evolve as you play the game. There’s no one reliable way to keep attacking so you have to stay nimble and, in the best cases, actually get you to engage with the game's mechanics in a more interesting way. And when it comes to experimentation there’s only one place to start. Let’s get this one out of the way, shall we?

Yes, snapping a branch in two after a couple of bashes of a Bokoblin can be a minor frustration at the beginning of Breath of the Wild, but from that point onwards a lot of this masterpiece’s magic would be lost. The experimentation that the many breakable weapons of Hyrule encourage is half of what makes this Zelda so much fun - that drive to find a new exciting way to take down whatever enemy faces you next as you juggle between the items in your inventory and those scattered around the battlefield.

There is no one set way to finish Breath of the Wild, from the order you take down its Divine Beasts, to the way you choose to defeat every other tiny enemy. And with Tears of the Kingdom set to only enhance that feeling of experimentation further with its new Fuse and Ultra Hand abilities, weapon durability is set to be an essential, and arguably less contentious issue this time around. If weapon degradation was removed from these recent Zelda games, that impetus to put your own unique spin on the adventure would largely disappear with it. Especially if you’re a weirdo like me who defeated Ganon for the time without even finding the legendary Master Sword.

9. Minecraft - Survival Instincts

Much like Breath of the Wild, many games like starting you out with a chunk of tree in your hands. While the construction side of survival games can encourage a similar level of experimentation as Zelda, they’re much more linear when it comes to weapon and tool progression. Whether it be Valheim or Rust, survival games rarely let you settle into a comfy favorite weapon, with some using a lack of durability as a means to progress. After all, what better way to force you to get better than to have your tools start to suck? This is a staple of many, but landing at number 9 here, is Minecraft.

Making your way from humble wood all the way through diamond and beyond is a path that all players will take if they dig far enough down. Crafting is obviously at the core of Minecraft, and the small dopamine hit that comes with each new creation is key to the journey.

That drive to find enough materials to progress through the layers that make up Minecraft’s world and eventually get that all-conquering Netherite sword with a meaty 2,032 hits to its name is central to the gameplay loop that has made it one of the biggest-selling games of all time.

8. Dark Cloud - Don’t Get Too Attached

In Minecraft, you can just craft another sword if it breaks, but there are some games where you just don’t get such a luxury. One of those is Dark Cloud. A unique action RPG in as much as it abandons the traditional character leveling system in favour of your weapons doing so. The more kills you do with that weapon, the more powerful it becomes. This comes with a caveat, though, as every weapon has a certain amount of hits it can dish out before breaking completely, and once it breaks, it’s gone forever.

You can repair them with items from your inventory which provides an exciting balancing act as you keep one eye open on the durability meter while fighting enemies with the other. A fun twist on weapon degradation that plays more actively into gameplay than most others, it isn’t without its share of heartbreak as a blade you’ve spent a dozen hours befriending shatters in your hands due to a lack of concentration.

7. The Last of Us - Making Opening Drawers Fun

Post-apocalypse games are also no stranger to dishing out heartbreak with their tales of broken civilisations. They are also often home to weapons degradation, with Metro Exodus and Fallout New Vegas taking part in the art of collecting tat in order to craft and patch up homemade weapons. When it comes to rifling through dusty drawers in order to build makeshift weapons there’s only one king, however - Naughty Dog’s beloved infected-fests.

Both The Last of Us Part 1 and 2 allow for homemade melee weapons to be constructed from blades, tape, and a big bit of metal. Yes, its story may well have its sad moments, but it’s also undeniably devastating when you break your big metal pipe with scissors sticking out of it. Valuable in fending off Clickers, it’s always helpful to have one of these handy, with their limited level of durability only adding to the desperate nature of its combat, and echoing the fragility of humanity itself. OK, maybe I’m thinking a little too hard about this now.

6. Dead Rising 2 - Zombie Time

On the pulpier side of the apocalypse are zombies. And I’ll be damned if zombie games don’t love anything more than letting you craft your own makeshift, limited-use weapons. Dying Light loves a bit of this, as does recent gorefest Dead Island 2. But let’s go all the way back to the Dead Rising series to see who did it best.

Effectively a playground built in order to slaughter as many undead as you can, this series placed the emphasis on using as many different weapons as possible. From everything from potted plants, to plywood, to pickaxes. Dead Rising had no shortage of damage dealers with systems that also played into encouraging exploration as you’d find books and magazines that increased the durability of certain weapon types. In some ways, Dead Rising really did influence Breath of the Wild. If you think about it in a really obtuse way like I just have.

5. Def Jam: Fight for NY - The Weapons Snopp Dogg Can Use

Similarly liable to using household furniture to cause pain are professional wrestlers. WWE games have included chairs, tables, and ladders since before The Rock was The Scorpion King and have only got more impressive in recent years with items visibly deteriorating over the course of matches. But that’s not what we’re picking here, and for one simple reason: they don’t have Snopp Dog in them.

That’s why Def Jam: Fight for NY is winning this round. Not because of the semi-durable bats, tire irons, and other weapons each arena Xzbits (I don’t really have much to say about those really), but just because Snoop Dogg and many other mid-2000s hip-hop stars get to wield them. I think that’s completely fair.

4. Madworld - The World is Your Weapon

From Ludacris to the ludicrous now. Some games just love to push the boundaries of what can be used as weapons. From Yakuza’s bicycles and traffic cones to God Hand’s array of colourful parasols, there is a lot of fun, and overpowered, examples out there. Nothing quite comes close to the sheer chaos of Madworld, however, where the world is your weapon.

A singularly stylistic hack and slasher from PlatinumGames, Madworld openly encouraged you to employ improvised weaponry to purvey as much bodily harm as possible. Rewarding players for the artistic merits of their kills, utilising these barely durable weapons was key to getting as high a score as possible and bringing as big a splash of red as possible to the Sin City-inspired environments. Making them last for many more hits would’ve made it all too easy, and where’s the fun in that?

3. Dredge - A Rod is a Weapon to a Fish

Where’s the fun in that? Is also a question you could ask about fishing. That hasn’t stopped dozens and dozens of games from including the past time, however. Normally one of the more relaxing things you can do, have you ever stopped to think that to a fish, a rod is a weapon? You have now, and no, I’m not talking about the limited amount of uses you get from one in Animal Crossing, but instead the largely unrelaxing horrors of Dredge.

Rods, nets, and crab pots have varying levels of durability in Dredge, asking you to take care when navigating its rocky waters, but also testing your timekeeping abilities. Keeping your fishing equipment in good shape is key to making it through Dredge in one piece, with repairs not coming cheap and selling fish in order to fund them difficult if that equipment isn’t ship-shape. I may be pushing the boat out a little here by calling a fishing rod a weapon, but would you want a sharp metal hook impaled on your lip? I think not.

2. Red Dead Redemption 2 - Keeping it Clean

Firmly back on dry land now where the last thing that some equipment likes, is getting is wet. This can be seen as you hike through a timefall-ravaged North America in Death Stranding, for example. But nowhere is this displayed better than in Rockstar’s phenomenal cowboy simulator, Red Dead Redemption 2.

Arthur Morgan’s selection of beautifully rendered pistols, rifles, and shotguns pack a punch, but only when treated with the care they deserve. Over time the condition of your weaponry will decrease, requiring you to clean and polish them to bring them back to full deadly power. Most of the time this isn’t a huge issue and something you don’t have to worry about all that often. Venture into some snow, roll around in the mud, or take a dip into some water, however, and that process is accelerated. It’s an impressive level of detail that very few can match. A lot of games strive for realism, but very few truly get it right like Red Dead Redemption 2.

1. Far Cry 2 - Keeping it Real

Realism is not always the most direct route to a fun time. But in some cases, that balance can be found. Stalker is as grounded as it gets, but also thrilling. Escape From Tarkov’s core gameplay is centered on taking care of your equipment. Very few, however, have ever done it quite as impressively as Far Cry 2.

Ahead of its time in many ways, Ubisoft’s African adventure is a descent into hell unaided by the fact that you’ll have to escape using a selection of guns that love nothing more than jamming, degrading, and ultimately breaking. Everything in this game needs repairing, from the vehicles which can absolutely be used as weapons, to yourself (I’ve been called a weapon on many occasions) as you lose durability due to the malarial infection coursing through your veins.

It’s a realism that the Far Cry series would soon move away from, favouring a more action-movie approach from 3 onwards. Nothing quite matches the unrivalled feeling of pure desperation that Far Cry 2 offered, however, and it’s as good an implementation of weapon degradation that you’re likely to see this side of Hyrule.

Those are just a handful of the many, many, games that utilise weapon durability in different ways. What’s your favourite game with weapon degradation? Got any that I’ve missed that use it in different ways? Let us know in the comments!

Simon Cardy is also slowly degrading over time. Follow him on Twitter at @CardySimon.

When you have the latest and greatest iPhone, then that means you can play just about any mobile game with ease—thanks to the smartphone’s sheer power and buttery smoothness. In fact, even if your iPhone is a few years old, you’ll still get a great experience gaming on-the-go.

And while there are millions of them on the Apple App Store and Apple Arcade, there’s a very useful list of the most popular games—divided by the most popular free games and paid games available for the iPhone in May 2023 (most of these titles are available as iPad games as well).

Jump to:

• Most Popular Free iPhone Games
• Most Popular Paid iPhone Games

From simple match-three games to powerful MMORPGs, we rounded up the top 10 from the top free and top paid games (20 games in total) to help you navigate the App Store easily. There are a lot of winners, below:

TL;DR – These are the Most Popular Apple iPhone games

Free iPhone Games

1. Monopoly Go! (Free)
2. Happy Hospital: ASMR Doctor (Free)
3. Royal Match (Free)
4. My Doge: Puzzle Game (Free)
5. Gardenscapes (Free)
6. Roblox (Free)
7. Subway Surfers (Free)
8. Impossible Date: Tricky Riddle (Free)
9. Honkai: Star Rail (Free)
10. Call of Duty: Mobile (Free)

Paid iPhone Games

1. Minecraft ($7)
2. Monopoly - Classic Board Game ($5)
3. Geometry Dash ($2)
4. Bloons TD 6 ($7)
5. Heads Up! ($2)
6. Papa's Freezeria To Go! ($1)
7. Incredibox ($5)
8. Plague Inc. ($1)
9. Red's First Flight ($1)
10. Stardew Valley ($5)

Most Popular Free Games

1. Monopoly Go!

Everyone’s favorite board game Monopoly is available to play on the Apple iPhone with Monopoly Go!. It features the same gameplay as the original, but faster, wilder, and more ruthless. Play with your friends and family from around the world, while the object of the game is to buy property, build houses and hotels, collect Monopoly Money, bankrupt everyone, and destroy their properties.

2. Happy Hospital: ASMR Doctor

Run your own hospital in Happy Hospital: ASMR Doctor, a medical simulation game. Set at Central Hospital, you can play as a doctor or nurse to help your patients recover from all sorts of ailments.

If you want a larger overview, you can also play hospital administrator to build, maintain, and manage your very own hospital and staff. The more patients you help, the more money you get to upgrade the medical center and make a better hospital.

3. Royal Match

Royal Match is a match-three puzzle game where you help King Robert restore his kingdom back to glory. The more you match, the more levels you complete, and the more you restore the kingdom. Meanwhile, you can unlock bonus levels and rooms to collect coins to stay alive.

4. My Doge: Puzzle Game

My Doge is a puzzle game where you help the Doge meme by drawing shields and barriers around it in one motion, so it will stay safe from attacking bees and other dangers. There are 100 levels full of puzzles and brain teasers to save the Doge.

5. Gardenscapes

Gardenscapes is a swap-and-match puzzle game with hundreds of different levels where you build the garden of your dreams with the help of Austin the butler. It features loads of gardens, fountains, mazes, and more that you have to restore, while you unlock characters and mysteries along the way. You can even connect the app with your Facebook account, so you can be neighbors with your friends.

6. Roblox

Immerse yourself in an entirely virtual experience in Roblox, a cross platform game that’s available on Apple iOS, Android, Windows, and Xbox. The app is opart-gaming and part-social media where you can play games, create your own game, or just chat with friends from all around the world with thousands of experiences—think of it as Club Penguin, but for Gen Z.

7. Subway Surfers

Set in Windy Chicago, Subway Surfer is an endless running game where you play as Jake, a graffiti artist, as he runs through subways and train yards to escape the inspector and his dog. You must dodge moving subways, poles, tunnel walls, barriers, and more to gain items and power-ups to increase your speed and upgrade your special abilities.

8. Impossible Date: Tricky Riddle

Why go on an actual date when you can play Impossible Date: Tricky Riddle on your iPhone? The mobile game is riddle-based where you solve puzzles and brain teasers to enhance romantic relationships. You can draw, erase, swipe, click, drag, and more actions to fix misunderstandings for couples who are on dates until they find true love.

9. Honkai: Star Rail

Aboard the Astral Express with The Nameless, a band of adventurers, you travel across the galaxy to find new civilizations, meet new friends, and have adventures on strange worlds in Honkai: Star Rail—a space fantasy RPG from game developers HoYoverse. Follow the Aeons, a race of godlike beings who can control reality, as they try to fight off an evil force called the Fragmentum.

10. Call of Duty: Mobile

A few years ago, Activision created a mobile version of their hit video game called Call of Duty: Mobile. This is the fourth season of the first-person shooter with various multiplayer modes, including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Battle Royale, and more. This is a cross-platform game for iOS and Android devices.

Most Popular Paid iPhone Games

1. Minecraft ($7)

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world and it’s available to play on Apple iPhone for just $7. It’s a sandbox game where players are free to create and explore the world to climb mountains, unearth caves, and mine precious ore to build homes, weapons, villages, and more.

You can also see our guide to how to play Minecraft for free.

2. Monopoly - Classic Board Game ($5)

Now play Monopoly with your Apple mobile device. This is the classic version of the board game with new graphics and fun animations in a fully immersive mobile experience. Roll the dice and travel around the board to buy up properties, build houses and hotels, collect Monopoly Money, and bankrupt friends and family.

You can even play as classic game pieces, including the scottie, cat, T-Rex, rubber duck, and others. And since this is the paid version at only $5, it’s ad-free with no interruptions or distracting pop-ups.

3. Geometry Dash ($2)

Geometry Dash is a rhythm-based platformer where players control shapes to jump from point-A to point-B with unique soundtracks for each level. The game even features a level editor where you can create and share your own levels. The app is just $2 and doesn’t include any in-app purchases, so unlocking new icons and characters is completely based on your skills throughout the game.

4. Bloons TD 6 ($7)

At $7, Bloons TD 6 is a top-down tower defense where players create defenses made up of hero monkeys, structures, towers, bridges, and traps to stop “Bloons,” balloon-like objects, from exiting each map. Players collect coins to upgrade their defenses.

5. Heads Up! ($2)

It’s the game “Who Am I?,” but for the digital age. Created by Ellen DeGeneres, Head Up! is charades with a twist. You place your iPhone (screen out) on your forehead, then a name or title appears on the display, your friends or family have to act out the clues, and then you have to guess the name of the character, movie title, animal, superhero, and more within 60 seconds. You can even play via Apple Facetime or Zoom. Not bad for just $2.

6. Papa's Freezeria To Go! ($1)

Make the ultimate ice cream sundae with Papa's Freezeria To Go!. At just $1, play as a worker at a beachfront ice cream shop, as more and more customers come in for a sweet treat during the hectic and hot summer season. Take ice cream orders and build and serve treats, while you earn points and tips for upgrades around the shop.

7. Incredibox ($5)

At $5, Incredibox is a part-game and part-music app where players can create their own music with impressive acapella audio, graffiti-and-drip-style graphics, and beatbox animations. Create the beats, effects, melodies, and voices in drag-and-drop mechanics to enhance your own tunes and sound. You can even save and download your masterpieces to share with your friends and family or just for yourself.

8. Plague Inc. ($1)

Why live through a pandemic in reality when you can play with one on your iPhone? At $1, Plague Inc. is a strategy game where you must end humanity with a deadly pathogen during a global plague. However, the people around the world are more adaptive than you think, so you have to create and evolve more and more deadly viruses to wipe away all of the people on Earth.

9. Red's First Flight ($1)

Angry Birds are back, baby! Red's First Flight is a remake of the classic mobile game from the late 2000s with new graphics, new levels, new features, and more. However, the goal remains the same: Launch Angry Birds to destroy greedy pigs and their structures to reclaim stolen eggs.

10. Stardew Valley ($5)

At $5, Stardew Valley is an open-world farm simulation game with elements of role-playing. Inherit a plot of land and a small house in Pelican Town from your grandfather, clear and farm the land with crops and livestock, and make money to expand and upgrade your own piece of the farmstead.

Meanwhile, Stardew Valley was the winner of Golden Joysticks' Breakthrough Award in 2016 with more than 50 hours of gameplay and fun.

What to Look for in Apple iPhone Games

There are millions upon millions of apps and games on the Apple App Store, so it might be intimidating to start with just one to play. While the most popular game lists—either free or paid—are a good place to start, there are some other factors you should consider before you tap download. Here’s what to look for in Apple iPhone games.

First of all, if you have a very old iPhone, you should check if it’s compatible with the mobile game. Most games require your iPhone to run, at least, iOS 8 or higher—which is compatible with the Apple iPhone 4S or higher. This iPhone model was released in October 2011, so any iPhone release beforehand will not be compatible with these games.

You should also be aware of how much space you have on your iPhone. The file size for mobile games can go from a few hundred megabytes all the way up to about 20GB, so if you don’t have enough space on your smartphone, then it won’t be able to download completely on your hardware. If that’s the case, you should consider deleting a few apps to free up some space, get a new iPhone with a larger storage capacity, or think about downloading a new game altogether.

Then, you should consider the price. While there are a lot of free games available, free doesn’t necessarily mean completely free. A lot of these free games offer in-app purchases for upgrades. For example, in the game Royal Match, you have a limited number of lives to play, once you lose a life, you have to wait 30 minutes to regain it. However, if you pay, you can unlock the app to get more lives.

Unfortunately, the same thing can be said for a paid game too. Just because you have to pay for an app at first, it doesn’t mean there aren’t additional in-app purchases available. But, if a mobile game is on the pricey side, then it’s likely that the unlocked version will download to your iPhone.

Additionally, you can also get a subscription to Apple Arcade for $5/mo. to unlock all of the iOS games available with no in-app purchases to play on iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Apple TV. If you’re an avid mobile gamer, then this is the way to go.

The final thing you should look out for in an Apple iPhone game is if it looks fun to play. If a game looks like a lot of fun or a challenge, then tap download and immerse yourself in a whole new universe and experience.

Upcoming iPhone Games

Wondering what new iPhone games are coming down the pipeline? Take a look at our guide to all of the biggest upcoming iPhone games to see what's coming in 2023.

Since their inception, video games have acted as portals to other worlds. Unlike books and films, they allow us to not just be immersed in another land but to truly explore one. It’s that core fantasy that has seen the concept of the open world flourish; what better way is there to create a sense of discovering a new world than to build one with as much depth and as few borders as possible? That goal has seen the open world advance from a form of environment design to a whole diverse genre in its own right.

Where linear game design delivers slices of another reality, the open world aims to simulate on a grander level. It combines geography, architecture, populations, and events to create a living city, region, or kingdom. The thing that truly separates open worlds from linear games, though, is freedom. For some developers this means offering a wide range of activities, buffet-style, to ensure you’re always free to play what you want. For others it’s providing the tools so that you can freely explore a world how you want.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, are emblematic of that play-how-you-want philosophy. Their core mechanics are built around the authentic sense of adventure that organic, freeform discovery can bring. This is why, outside of the main quest, you’re offered very little direction. Its map is devoid of activity icons. Instead, the architecture of Tears of the Kingdom’s world is designed to draw your attention and encourage you to uncover its untold secrets.

Since there are few pre-plotted objectives, the unknown journey towards your chosen goal is as important as the destination itself. That’s why the very topography of Hyrule, from its steep mountains to its floating islands, is designed to provide navigation challenges that require genuine effort and planning to conquer. You may need to plot an exhausting climb, risk a dangerous drop, paraglide an awkward route, or combine more unusual techniques to reach a point of interest. It's through all this that a genuine sense of accomplishment is achieved, which in turn makes the discoveries on the other side of those challenges all the more spectacular, regardless of if that’s valuable treasure or a priceless vista.

Nintendo generated Breath of the Wild’s now-signature exploration style by engineering a detailed simulation of the physical world. Gravity, wind, fire, and propulsive forces can all be harnessed to launch Link to places that initially seem impossible to reach, and each new discovery makes Hyrule even more vast and unknowable. Tears of the Kingdom takes this one step forward with its new crafting abilities, Fuse and Ultrahand, which allow you to make a variety of improvised weapons and contraptions. It’s an impressive system that continually broadens the game’s horizons with each new find. For instance, experimenting with Ultrahand may see you craft an airship. That’s a fantastic achievement in its own right, but that airship can now be used to explore distant mountaintops, or employed as part of a new tactic to parachute into Bokoblin camps. It’s a domino effect; each new discovery opens up new ways to play, which in turn enhances Tears of the Kingdom’s sense of freedom.

Development of Breath of the Wild, and in turn Tears of the Kingdom, was partially inspired by the advancements of open world games in the West. We can see that most clearly in Hyrule’s map-revealing towers and Link’s ability to climb almost any surface, two mechanics that directly build upon the trademarks of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series. But the more important inspiration, cited by Nintendo itself, is Skyrim. Bethesda’s spirit of adventure can be found in the way that Zelda employs enemy camps, unmarked secrets, and distant landmarks that beg to be explored. Nintendo’s interpretation of these ideas have since triggered industry trends; in Elden Ring we explore a world with a similar approach to rewarding curiosity and risk-taking, while Death Stranding is an entire game dedicated to making challenging traversal the main event.

But while Breath of the Wild was clearly a turning point for the industry, its approach to open worlds is not perfect for all people. Its lack of direction and seemingly infinite options can be limiting rather than inspiring, and overwhelmed players have a tendency to stick to main objectives and just a handful of simple, reliable techniques. For these players direction and guidance can be beneficial, which is where the more traditional play what you want design of open worlds comes in.

This strain of open world arose during the early 2000s as the success of Grand Theft Auto 3 ushered in a tidal wave of so-called ‘GTA clones’, and by the release of Assassin’s Creed 2 in 2009 the genre’s modern form had fully emerged. It’s characterised by a map populated by dozens (or sometimes even hundreds) of icons, each of which represents one of a variety of activity types ranging from main missions to momentary distractions. These are typically evenly spread across a number of regions. Clearing a region may involve playing through a couple of dungeons, solving several puzzles, collecting a few resources, and defeating the local world boss, in addition to the main and side quests. This arrangement effectively makes the map a question: what are you in the mood for right now? A detailed main quest, or something more bite-size?

This design, often referred to (sometimes derogatorily) as the ‘Ubisoft formula’, is the foundation of dozens of games, including smash hits such as Batman: Arkham City, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Horizon series. And it’s obvious why this design is so popular: it directs you to the world’s most interesting and exciting activities, something invaluable to those who need guidance, time-poor players, and people looking to achieve 100% completion.

The arrangement provides a more authored experience; where many of the greatest moments in Zelda are rooted in the journey across Hyrule and the things you discover (often by accident) along the way, the greatest hits in more traditionally-designed open worlds come from fantastic mission or activity design. Ghosts of Tsushima’s duels, Horizon’s mech battles, and Arkham City’s stealth infiltrations are all among the genre’s highpoints, but these are moments created for you, rather than by you.

The more directed an open world is, though, the more important it is to preserve a sense of adventure. With too many icons the world effectively becomes an awkward menu in which you need to walk between game modes. Its sense of place is lost, and the purpose of it being an open world in the first place dissolves. Assassin’s Creed Unity is the poster child for this mistake, its map rendered incomprehensible thanks to a clutter of symbols highlighting everything from main missions to the most insignificant treasure chest. As proven by the likes of The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, a good open world map knows when to signpost, when to hint, and when to say nothing at all.

Perhaps the reason why Rockstar Games is considered among the open world’s most important custodians, then, is that its games find a way to blend discovery and direction together. The world of Red Dead Redemption 2, the studio’s most recent and accomplished open world, is full of authored moments. The serial killer, the voice of the devil, and the vampire are just a few well-known examples of bizarre characters and questlines that you’ll find during your travels through the American frontier. But, crucially, these activities are not marked on your map until you stumble across them. Infact, Rockstar is reluctant to add icons to its maps at all, using them sparingly to mark significant quest givers and previously-discovered locations. And so bumping into one of Red Dead’s many unusual strangers feels like a genuine discovery, and the quests that spin out of those meetings feels like a true adventure rather than a pre-planned activity.

By blurring the boundary between freedom and precise scripting, Rockstar achieves its trademark atmosphere; worlds that feel both cinematic and authentic. But that authenticity comes from more than just freedom; it’s built on simulation. There’s a constant two-way conversation between the world and the player. When snow falls you need to dress appropriately to fend off the cold. Wade through water and you’ll need to clean your weapons to restore their effectiveness. Act with kindness or cruelty and the population will respond accordingly. Even the impression of your boots in the mud conveys a sense of believable reality. This is a genuine world, and even your footprints leave a mark on it.

While Rockstar’s apparently infinite budget means its graphics technology can make a world that looks photorealistic and thus increasingly believable, studios across the world have long recognised that visual grunt alone can’t make an open-world feel alive. The land has to react to your presence. This understanding can be traced all the way back through Rockstar’s gameography; the very core of Grand Theft Auto is based on the reactivity of the police. Commit crimes, get chased. The police wanted system has since been replicated by dozens of games, from The Getaway to Cyberpunk 2077, but it’s also the first link in an evolutionary chain that leads to Shadow of Mordor’s incredible Nemesis System.

In Monolith’s otherwise fairly traditional open world, seemingly inconsequential enemy orcs left to die in a ditch can return to hound you across the campaign. They return for grudge matches over and over again, each time looking more haggard and mutilated than the last. In the sequel, Shadow of War, orcs are able to learn from their combat mistakes and fight you in increasingly sophisticated ways. They rise through the ranks of Sauron’s army, becoming an ever more powerful threat with each encounter. Behind the scenes, this system is simply an NPC tracking database, but within the lands of Middle-earth these lines of code are a living, breathing rogues gallery of unforgettable foes. It creates life in a manner unlike any other game, and that life is rooted in the simulation layer of its open world design.

You cannot escape the Nemesis System in Shadow of Mordor, much like how you cannot rid the city of GTA’s police or avoid the natural forces that govern Tears of the Kingdom’s world. And so while the philosophy that powers open worlds is freedom, these games are just as much about what’s beyond a player’s control as they are the opportunities granted to them. That players in Breath of the Wild are not free from the limits of their own exhaustion while climbing a mountain dictates not only their journey, but also the way they’re free to explore. Tears of the Kingdom refines that concept even further; your limited stamina and the pull of gravity may shackle you to the ground, but Ultrahand – and the amazing skyborne vehicles it can create – will be the thing that helps you break free of the earth and reach that distant mountaintop.

Like Tears of the Kingdom, the next revolutionary open world will once again redefine freedom. I can’t wait to see the possibilities it unlocks.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

Between the releases of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, Forspoken, and Octopath Traveler II, it's been another busy year for Square Enix. Still, though, the company hopes to expand, and this might include forming or acquiring new studios.

Today, Square Enix revealed that it is thinking about creating new studios and acquiring existing studios as part of its plan to grow its in-house development resources.

According to slides from the company's full earnings report released today, Square Enix plans to "consider M&A, creating new studios, and taking minority stakes" to bring in more external development resources."

In addition, it plans to hire more engineers and developers "to develop not only HD and smart device games but also content for future cross-platform offerings."

Square Enix also revealed that sales and profit were down during its 2023 fiscal year, though it partially attributed this to the lack of expansions in comparison to last year's DLC for Final Fantasy XIV. The company forecasts a stronger fiscal year in 2024.

Earlier this year, Forspoken developer Luminous Productions was absorbed back into Square Enix to continue working on AAA games, but in March, Square Enix said that Forspoken sales were "lackluster." Its president also recently stepped down after a 10-year run that ended in controversial blockchain advocacy.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Jack Black has created yet another catchy song - and this time, it's a love letter to video games.

Following up on his song "Peaches" for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, his band Tenacious D released "Video Games" with an accompanying music video that sports more game references than you can count on two hands. You can watch the full video here.

It opens up with an animated version of Jack Black singing about how he doesn't play video games (we all know that's not true) with bandmate Kyle Gass playing guitar. As the video goes on, Black begins to name a bunch of video games he's played... while Gass gets killed by various video game creatures and characters.

Throughout the song, he references God of War, Fallout 4, Sonic the Hedgehog, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, Minecraft, Tomb Raider, Team Fortress 2, Mega Man, and Super Mario Bros.

From Mario to Kratos, from Lara Croft to Ryu, Jack Black transforms into the best of the best in Tenacious D's new music video for "Video Games." 🎮 (1/3) pic.twitter.com/yYuEY7HVCT

— IGN (@IGN) May 11, 2023

It's only Black's latest mix of music and games. Last month, "Peaches" had climbed to the Billboard Hot 100 list. It was listed at No. 83, making it the first song in his solo career to make it on the list. Before that, the last time he was featured on the Billboard Hot 100 list was in 2006 when Tenacious D made the "The Pick of Destiny."

For more Jack Black-related news, check out our story on how he wants the Super Mario Bros. movie sequel to star Pedro Pascal as Wario and why he was hesitant to sing in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Luis Joshua Gutierrez is a freelance writer who loves games. You can reach him at @ImLuisGutierrez on Twitter.

It’s an incredible feeling when you’re fully immersed in an open world game. Whether it’s the vast wild west or sprawling magical worlds, there’s so much to take in and explore and interact with. This year will see the arrival of even more exciting new ones to play in as well, from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Starfield. But jumping into a new open world game often requires you to set aside an abundance of time to work through it, and if you don’t have 50 hours to devote to a new save, it helps to know about shorter open world games to play that won’t take up too much of your time.

In this list, we’ve collected the top 12 shortest open world games, according to How Long to Beat, to help you find something quick to get through. To complete their main stories, these games range from a little over an hour long to around seven hours. They offer a wide variety of experiences as well, from short and sweet indies to stellar action-packed expansions for games you already know and love. Starting from the shortest open world game on How Long to Beat’s site, here’s our list of the 12 shortest open world games to play in 2023.

Proteus

• Time to beat: 1h 20m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita (Note: sadly not on PS Store)

If you’ve got an hour to kill and are looking for something simple to pass the time, look no further than Proteus. This game just requires you to roam around, listen to the sounds of the world around you, and watch the season’s change. Our review called it a, “a joyous experiment in exploration from start to finish – even if it is a very, very short-lived one.” They also explain that there’s “a beauty in Proteus' unmatched simplicity,” which makes it a great fit for those who just want to sit back, relax, and take in its pixelated scenery. It’ll only take you a little over an hour to complete as well.

Copoka

• Time to beat: 1h 29m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on PC

In a similar vein of simple (and very, very short) open world games, Copoka is a little indie that takes you on a journey where you play as a bird flying around a city. You can also listen in on the conversations unfolding in the city below, but it’s mainly for flying around and exploring. Its main story only takes around an hour and a half to complete, or two hours if you feel like completing it in full, so you can easily cross it off your list in an evening.

Shelter 2

• Time to beat: 1h 58m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on Nintendo Switch, PC

From playing a bird to playing a lynx, Shelter 2 has you playing as a mother lynx trying to protect her babies in the snowy wilderness. It boasts a lovely art style and a big open world to roam around in, with a main story that’ll take you about two hours to complete. If you want to be a completionist with it, though, it takes (on average) upwards of 13 hours to accomplish everything in it.

Pupperazzi

• Time to beat: 2h 14m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on Mac, PC, Xbox One

Have you ever wanted to be a photographer for dogs? I mean, who wouldn’t want to be? And thankfully, Pupperazzi gives you the opportunity to do just that. Roam around its open world and take pictures of all the sweet pups that you come across while building your career along the way. It’s a quick play as well, only taking a little over two hours on average to finish its main story, so you can easily spend an evening perfecting your photography skills while petting cute dogs. Perfect, right?

Sludge Life

• Time to beat: 2h 23m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on Nintendo Switch, PC

And, if you feel like leaving the world of dog photography behind, perhaps you’ll be interested in a game like Sludge Life, where you play as a tagger named Ghost. In this game, your open world playground is a polluted island that’s yours to explore and make a name for yourself. The main story will only take around two and a half hours to complete, but if you feel like completing all that Sludge Life has to offer, it’ll take you close to five hours.

Grow Home

• Time to beat: 2h 36m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on PC, PlayStation 4

For when you get tired of Sludge Life’s pollution, you can find fresher air in Grow Home. This is a sweet and short little game where you play as a robot named BUD (which stands for Botanical Utility Droid) who’s on a mission to save his home planet. Upon release, our review stated that it’s “not particularly long, or dense, or even deep,” but it’s “completely comfortable in its own skin, and that makes it a joy to play.” It won’t take too terribly long to complete, either, as the main story runs for a little over two and a half hours, while getting 100% will take you about eight hours.

Lost Nova

• Time to beat: 3h 12m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on PC

If you long to explore more planets, Lost Nova follows a young adventurer named Mia who crash lands on an alien planet and finds her ship in need of repair. Throughout the game, you’ll explore the planet, make new friends, and salvage materials, craft, and trade to repair your ship. To complete the main story, you’ll need just over three hours, and if you want to see all that Lost Nova has to offer, it’ll take you around seven hours.

Lil Gator Game

• Time to beat: 3h 24m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on Nintendo Switch, PC

If adorable characters win you over easily, you’re sure to love the titular Lil Gator from Lil Gator Game. This ridiculously cute adventure game sees you roaming around and exploring a small island where you can make new friends and beat up cardboard baddies that get in your way. It was even our Game of the Month on IGN Plus in March! It’ll only take you around three and a half hours to complete the main story, but if you feel like going for a full 100% playthrough, it’ll take you a little over five hours.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

• Time to beat: 4h 41m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on PC, PlayStation 3/4, Xbox 360/One

If you crave an open world game with a lot more action than Lil Gator Game, look no further than Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. This standalone expansion for Far Cry 3 is one wild ride, with our review at the time explaining that, “Nobody in their right mind would create something as wonderfully absurd as Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon – so I’m glad someone in charge at Ubisoft is at least a little nuts.” In this game, play as Sergeant Rex "Power" Colt and save the world. It’ll take you just over four and a half hours for the main story and roughly nine hours to complete everything.

No Straight Roads: Encore Edition

• Time to beat: 5h 6m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

While not as action-heavy as Far Cry, No Straight Roads: Encore Edition still offers some exciting gameplay. This little game drops you into Vinyl City, where you’ll form a rock band to take down the EDM Empire, NSR. It also features rhythm-infused combat that’ll keep you on your toes as you battle each district’s boss. The main story will take you around five hours to complete, and going all-in on this battle of the bands for 100% completion will take you around 24 hours.

Retro City Rampage DX

• Time to beat: 5h 34m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360

In keeping with the action genre, Retro City Rampage DX has plenty to offer but in 8-BIT form. This game parodies games like the Grand Theft Auto series and comes complete with a full Story Mode, over 60 missions, over 40 arcade challenges, and much more. It’s a big world to explore, but won’t take up too much of your time. The main story only takes around five and a half hours, while 100% completion will take around eighteen and a half hours.

Shadow of the Colossus (2018)

• Time to beat: 7h 11m, on average, for the Main Story
• Platforms: Available on PlayStation 4

This remake of 2005’s Shadow of the Colossus is a fantastic, must-play open world game for those wanting something short and thrilling to dig into. It was awarded a 9.7 from us upon release, with our reviewer calling it “outstanding” thanks to “improved controls, performance, and sheer graphical beauty.” Its main story will only take you just over seven hours to complete, but if you want to go in for a full completionist playthrough, it’ll take you roughly twenty six hours.

Best Reviewed Short Open World Games

While it’s rare for games to reach as high as Shadow of the Colossus’ 9.7, there are other games on this list that still earned high review scores. Proteus, for instance, earned an 8.5 from us and was praised as “a beautiful getaway from gaming traditions.” Grow Home is another that earned an 8.8 due to its “charming personality, feel-good physics, and satisfying controls”.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon also earned high praise from us in the form of an 8, with our reviewer calling it “a nutty, hilarious shooter you deserve to play.” The expansion remains one of the best Far Cry games and beloved in the franchise as well, making it well worth your time to play.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Ever-improving technological capabilities have led to ever-expanding possibilities in game development, and over the past two decades especially, studios have harnessed those technologies to make their games look better, play smoother, and for the most part, run longer.

Game length has become a critical selling point given consumers' limited time and money, and their seemingly unlimited options for entertainment. So, with the help of IGN sister site HowLongtoBeat, we set out to discover the longest video game campaigns ever made.

The list is based on the average time it takes to ‘mainline’ a game's campaign (i.e., to play straight through the story without exploring much or any side content). We decided to highlight story length rather than overall length as the overall list is dominated by idle games and neverending simulations. HowLongtoBeat estimates are based on user-reported playtimes.

11. My Time at Portia

My Time at Portia, a cozy town simulator from 2019, squeezes onto our list with a 70.5-hour campaign — half an hour longer than Crusader Kings 3.

My Time at Portia offers nearly as much content outside of the main story, as completionists can expect to spend around 135 hours with the sim.

10. Persona 4

This list is dominated by two franchises: Monster Hunter and Persona. The latter’s first entry on this list is the PS2 game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, which rolls credits around 72.5 hours.

Persona 4 Golden, now available on modern platforms, is described as an “expanded” version of P4, though according to HLTB, it has a shorter average completion time of 68 hours. However, Golden has a longer estimated time for completionists at 139 hours.

9. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

The first of four Monster Hunter games on this list, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate clocks in at 75 hours. Ultimate is an expanded version of the Wii-exclusive Monster Hunter 3.

While credits roll after roughly 75 hours, completionists can expect to spend 553 hours with MH3U.

8. Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Pathfinder: Kingmaker, a video game adaptation of the popular tabletop RPG, earned a spot on this list with a 77.5-hour campaign.

Completionists can expect to spend 198 hours with the isometric RPG.

7. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is another sprawling action-RPG from Capcom. Its 77.5-hour runtime is tied with Pathfinder: Kingmaker’s, though MH4U gets the edge given its greater length for completionists: 387 hours to Pathfinder’s 198.

6. Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

Dragon Quest 7, the longest entry in Square Enix’s 37-year-old JRPG series, clocks in at 78 hours. The seventh Dragon Quest game came West in 2001 as Dragon Warrior 7 before a 2013 3DS remake adopted its original Japanese title.

Completionists can expect to spend 159 hours with the JRPG.

5. Gran Turismo 4

Sony’s PS2 racer Gran Turismo 4 featured a 78.5-hour career mode — 30 hours longer than any other entry in the series, according to HLTB. For reference, the recent Gran Turismo 7 campaign mode, GT Café, takes roughly 24 hours to complete. Gran Turismo 4 is the only first-party game on this list from Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo.

Completionists can expect to spend 279 hours with Gran Turismo 4.

4. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate

Capcom one-upped itself again with Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, a massive action-RPG with a 79-hour runtime. First released in Japan as Monster Hunter XX, Ultimate is a beefed-up Switch version of Monster Hunter Generations for 3DS. For comparison, the original release had an average completion time of 54 hours.

Completionists can expect to spend 689 hours with Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate — more time than any other game on this list.

3. Persona 3

Persona 3’s main story wraps after 82 hours, good for third place on the list of all-time longest video game campaigns. An extended version of P3, Persona 3 FES, was released a year later, though according to HLTB, that can be completed in two fewer hours.

However, Persona 3 FES does feature more overall content than the base version: Completionists can expect to spend 140 hours with the JRPG.

2. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

At 98 hours long, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is the longest Capcom campaign and the second-longest game on our list. First released in Japan as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, Unite is an extended version of Monster Hunter Freedom 2.

While credits roll around the 98-hour mark, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite has roughly 459 hours of content for completionists.

1. Persona 5 Royal

The longest single-player story in gaming can be found within Atlus’s preeminent JRPG Persona 5 Royal. HLTB lists the average completion time for its story at 101 hours. Royal, like many games on this list, is an extended version of a previously released game.

In addition to having the longest story, Persona 5 Royal has one of gaming's best: It earned a review score of 10 from IGN and a spot on our list of the best modern RPGs.

Considering the statistics for both Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, completionists can expect to spend 143–173 hours with the JRPG.

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

David Gaider, who was a narrative lead for Dragon Age before leaving BioWare in 2016, said in a recent Twitter thread that writers at the developer became "quietly resented" and were seen as an "albatross."

Gaider posted the tweets just as film and television writers went on strike yesterday, demanding better pay structures and improved working conditions from Hollywood studios. Talking about writing broadly, Gaider said it's a discipline that's "constantly undervalued," and it's an attitude that's seen among those trying to get into the video game industry as well.

"Even BioWare, which built its success on a reputation for good stories and characters, slowly turned from a company that vocally valued its writers to one where we were... quietly resented, with a reliance on expensive narrative seen as the 'albatross' holding the company back," he wrote.

"Maybe that sounds like a heavy charge, but it's what I distinctly felt up until I left in 2016," he went on. "Suddenly all anyone in charge was asking was 'how do we have LESS writing?' A good story would simply happen, via magic wand, rather than be something that needed support and priority."

Maybe that sounds like a heavy charge, but it's what I distinctly felt up until I left in 2016. Suddenly all anyone in charge was asking was "how do we have LESS writing?" A good story would simply happen, via magic wand, rather than be something that needed support and priority.

— David Gaider (@davidgaider) May 3, 2023

Gaider was with BioWare for 17 years before he left, and his narrative footprint on the company is an undeniably large one. He served as lead writer for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, and is credited with the creation of the world in which the game series take place, Thedas.

The next Dragon Age game, Dread Wolf, is still awaiting a release date. Prior to Dragon Age, Gaider also worked on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn for BioWare. He's currently working on a new narrative RPG for Summerfall Games, Stray Dogs.

Gaider's comments come at a time when Hollywood's writers are fighting for more stability in the industry, especially after streaming upended entertainment as we know it and as emerging AI technology is increasingly being eyed as a way to devalue writers even more (for more on how AI could impact the entertainment industry, check out IGN's AI Week coverage).

"At the end of the day, you can say you like good writing - whether it's in a game, a movie, an online article, or whatever - but if you don't value it enough to prioritize it and support it... and, yes, pay writers what they're due... that's not what everyone else is hearing," Gaider concluded.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.