Category: Gaming

Popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat has officially finished Elden Ring after a more than 160 hour marathon that went viral over the course of the week.

The stream, which kicked off on May 10 with a promise that he would play it until he beat it, became something of a sensation, at one point topping 230,000 viewers over the course of the marathon playthrough. Cenat announced that he had finished Elden Ring on Friday afternoon after 166 hours with a post on X/Twitter exclaiming, “I FINALLY BEAT ELDEN RING.”

Cenat’s achievement felt especially notable became, as he pointed out, he doesn’t normally play these types of games. He’s best-known for streaming games like GTA Online, though he has also sprinkled in Red Dead Redemption 2, Minecraft, and other games.

Neverthless, Cenat’s stream has been a hit, bringing with it a seemingly endless stream of reactions and clips as he has his cursed his way through each difficult encounter.

Despite his inexperience, Cenat perservered, even managing to defeat the notoriously difficult Malenia on his 271st try following a struggle that lasted more than 20 hours.

After rolling credits, Cenat celebrated by watching the trailer for the Shadow of Erdtree DLC, which he roundly applauded, then he watched a speedrunner finish the game in less than two minutes. In all, Cenat’s run lasted roughly 167 hours and took some 1,700 deaths to finally complete.

In his final review, Cenat thanked the Soulsborne community and called Elden Ring “a masterpiece.”

“To the people who watch on the regular, thank you. Because y’all gave me a chance to explore a new game that is not in our category that we don’t normally play and we had a great time…gaming is really huge and I really respect Elden Ring,” Cenat said.

“[T]o the Souls community, y’all are some gamers. Second of all, this game is a masterpiece. Does it deserve game of the year? Yes. I love God of War. I love it. This game is cinema…I literally enjoyed every boss battle…I don’t know what game compares to this now. This is absolute cinema.”

Cenat also vowed to return for Shadow of the Erdtree, which is due out in a little more than a month.

“If this one thing that you learned from watching this, do not give up. Listen to me. DLC? We’re playing,” he said.

One way or another, it doesn’t sound like Cenat’s journey is over just yet. Elden Ring: Shadow of Erdtree releases on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on June 21.

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

Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has teased another gruesome foe ahead of the release of its highly anticipated DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, next month.

An image of the enemy, a gold-faced, long-haired being with bladed disc-like weapons, was shared on the official Elden Ring X (formerly Twitter) account. Story details about how the unnamed creature fits into the wider world of Elden Ring were not revealed, leaving players to guess how it may play a part.

“Fearsome foes of unfathomable power await you in the Realm of Shadow,” the post says.

Players speculate that the hunched, golden-dress-wearing enemy may be one of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s new bosses. Some have gone as far as to guess that the creature may be related to Godwyn the Golden, as they share a similar scar on their back. The enemy also features the same, twisted Omen horns as Mohg and Morgott, Godwyn’s brothers.

It’s hard to guess exactly how the mysterious enemy fits into Elden Ring lore without playing Shadow of the Erdtree for ourselves, but some theories do have us scratching our heads. There have also, of course, been plenty of fans pointing out that the image FromSoftware shared looks undeniably like a uterus.

Elden Ring will bring new challenges for players to conquer when Shadow of the Erdtree launches June 21, 2024. For more on FromSoftware’s action RPG hit, you can read our 10/10 review of the base game. You can also check out the other, Bloodborne-like enemy the developer revealed earlier this week.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

SSD prices are trending upwards for 2024, so it’s much more difficult to find a fast 4TB M.2 SSD for under $200. Fortunately for a limited time, Amazon has dropped the price of the Silicon Power 4TB PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive (SSD) to only $182.74 shipped after you apply a 15% off coupon code “U7ZRKH588ANB“. This SSD is fully compatible with the PlayStation 5 console, but it also functions admirably as a blazing fast and generously sized boot drive for your PC. This is far less expensive than any other 4TB PS5 SSD on Amazon.

Silicon Power 4TB SSD (PS5-Compatible) for $182.74

The Silicon Power 4TB meets all the requirements for your PS5 SSD upgrade. It supports transfer speeds of up to 7,000MB/s read and 6,500MB/s write which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. However, it does not include a heatsink. Compatible heatsinks starts at $7 and they are very easy to install yourself.

If you have a gaming PC, this is one of the best SSDs you can get in terms of speed and capacity at this price point. Windows 11 requires 64GB all by itself. Games require as much or more space than even a gaming console. A 4TB SSD should be able to handle all the apps you’ll ever need to install. If you’ve built your own PC, you might have purchased a motherboard that already has an integrated SSD cooler. If that’s the case, you’ll be glad that this SSD doesn’t have a heatsink pre-installed.

Silicon Power 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $125.99

Use code: U7ZRKH588ANB

Silicon Power XS70 2TB PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD with Preinstalled Aluminum Heatsink

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This same coupon code works on most Silicon Power SSDs. That means this 2TB Silicon Power XS70 SSD with preinstalled robust aluminum heatsink costs is also on sale. It’s $125.99 after the code “U7ZRKH588ANB” is applied, making it the best price we’re seeing right now for a 2TB PS5 with heatsink from a brand that we recognize and recommend.

If you want more options, check out our picks for the best SSDs of 2024.

Fortnite has officially announced that a Fallout collaboration is on the way.

The mega-hit battle royale title’s official X/Twitter account confirmed the news today, sharing an image that show’s a dusty landscape and a proud-looking individual in some Brotherhood of Steel T-60 power armor. The post itself doesn’t share anything about what the crossover will entail outside of referencing Vault Boy’s iconic wink-and-thumbs-up pose.

Developer Epic Games also updated Fornite’s in-game news feed, confirming that Chapter 5 Season 3: Wrecked will arrive “courtesy of the Brotherhood of Steel” one week from today on May 24.

Fans will have to guess what Fallout content will drop into Fortnite, but with so many characters, items, and moments to pull from, there’s no telling what we have to look forward to. It at least looks like the Brotherhood of Steel, arguably Fallout’s most recognizable faction, will show up in some form, perhaps as a purchasable skin. Some music from the series, such as The Ink Spots’ I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire, could also pop up in some form, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see a Vault Boy skin either.

Fallout’s origin goes back to the release of the original game in the late ‘90s. Although it’s only grown in popularity since, the Bethesda and Microsoft IP seemed to reach new heights with the release of Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout TV series last month. With that in mind, players may want to consider that some of its characters, like Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Aaron Moten’s Maximus, and Walton Goggins’ Ghoul, could make appearances.

With the next season of Fortnite primed to launch so soon, it shouldn’t be too long before we learn more about what the Fallout collab has in store. For now, players are still enjoying Chapter 5 Season 2: Myths and Mortals.

Fortnite Season 2 Chapter: Myths and Mortals – Screenshot Gallery

For more on Bethesda’s bombshell post-apocalyptic franchise, you can read about why we think the original Fallout games deserve to be remastered. You can also read up on why Nintendo wouldn’t let Samus join Fornite.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Starting today, Amazon has the excellent Super Mario RPG remake for Nintendo Switch for only $42.90. That’s nearly 30% off the original $60 MSRP and the best price we’ve ever seen. Even better, this game is a physical copy that’s sold and shipped from Amazon direct, not a marketplace vendor.

Super Mario RPG for $42.90

Super Mario RPG is a remake of the 1996 SNES classic. It was one of the best games to grace the console back then amidst a sea of other incredible titles, and Nintendo did a great job of staying faithful to the game’s charm and fun factor. A whole slew of improvements have been implemented to bring this game up to modern day standards, including updated visuals, music, gameplay mechanics, and several small yet welcome quality-of-life UI improvements. Check out our Super Mario RPG review for a detailed rundown of all of the the changes and our official impressions of the game. Still, it’s understandably difficult to pay $60 for a remake no matter how good it is, so a deal like this is certainly welcome.

Looking for more Mario games? Here’s a list of every Mario game for the Nintendo Switch.

There are a few different points in the year that feature some great sale events, offering excellent discounts on a variety of gaming-related items. Memorial Day weekend is one of those times and usually has quite a few deals for Xbox fans to enjoy. Whether you’re looking for deals on games or controllers or storage, there’s plenty to check out at numerous different retailers.

While we don’t know what exactly will be hitting those virtual sale shelves this year, we can take a good look at previous years to see what could be making a comeback. Below, you can also find information on when Memorial Day lands this year, how long sales will last, and when the next big sale event will be that you can mark your calendar for.

Best Xbox Deals Today

When is Memorial Day?

While Memorial Day lands on Monday, May 27, some of the sales start up a bit earlier. Sometimes even a week before, but that depends entirely on the retailer. Places like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart will put up a notice on their respective websites stating when their sale event begins and how long it will last for, so it’s worth checking out your preferred site to see when the best time to buy is.

It’s also worth noting that some of these retailers offer early access to sale events through their respective memberships. Though that hasn’t been confirmed yet at one of their locations for this one, it’s still worth keeping in mind. Places like Walmart, for example, offer this through their Walmart+ membership and you can even score a free 30-day trial to test it out! They’re also offering some excellent bonus offers right now that you can take advantage of, like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for two months for free, a three-month trial of YouTube Premium for free, five months of Apple Music for free, and more.

What Xbox Deals to Expect This Year

Based on previous years, there are quite a few different Xbox deals that could pop up again this year. Xbox video game deals will absolutely come back around, but last year saw various expansion cards go on sale and there’s a very good chance that Xbox controllers will be discounted as well. We’ll make sure to update this piece with the best Xbox deals as they appear, but if you simply can’t wait for Memorial Day weekend and want to see what the best deals are right now, make sure to have a look at our roundup of the best Xbox deals.

How Long Do Memorial Day Sales Last?

While some sales will just run through the three-day weekend, others can extend a few days after, which is nice if you’re feeling on a tight schedule of picking up your favorite deals. Again, this entirely depends on the retailer, so it’s worth checking out your preferred shop to see what their sale event plans are.

When Will the Next Sale Event Happen After Memorial Day?

Summer is a great time to shop around as there are a wide variety of sale events that go on over those months. You won’t even have to wait too long for the next one, as June usually sees some big Summer gaming sales very early on. With IGN Live and Summer Game Fest kicking the festivities off this year in June, there will likely be a sale that happens around that time on each platform’s store. IGN Live will run from June 7-9 in LA and SGF’s big livestream event will kick off on June 7 at 2pm PT/5pm ET/10pm GMT, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled around this time to see what the Xbox Store has up its sleeve.

Not long after these events will be Amazon Prime Day, which is an excellent time for Prime members to scope out deals they may have missed over Memorial Day weekend. While we don’t know the exact dates for it this year, if it follows the pattern of previous years, it’ll likely land around the second week of July.

If you want to see even more deals outside of Xbox, check out our roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Nintendo Switch deals, and the best PC video game deals. You can also check out our Daily Deals roundup to see the latest and greatest discounts available at the moment, from tech to video games to movies.

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

Redfall will see the release of one final update amid the closure of its developer, Arkane Austin.

Game Update 4 will revamp the Neighborhood and Nest systems, add single-player pausing, and add the promised offline mode, among other things.

IGN had reported that Redfall had a roadmap of support that was being actively worked on before Microsoft scrapped all development and closed its developer as part of significant cuts at Bethesda that also saw the end for Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks.

Arkane Austin was working on DLC and updates for the game with the expectation they would release in May, IGN understands, suggesting Microsoft’s internal announcement that it was closing the developer came as a shock to staff.

IGN was told that the now canceled Hero Pass content, which was set to add two new characters to the vampire co-op shooter, was scheduled for release this Halloween. There is no suggestion this Hero Pass content will be released.

In an email sent to staff on May 7, Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, blamed the cuts on a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” The email, verified by IGN, stated that Redfall’s previous update would “be its last as we end all development on the game.”

Redfall’s servers will remain online, Booty added, with a “make-good offer” to players who purchased the Hero DLC. At the time of this article’s publication, the details for this ‘Redfall credit program’ had yet to be announced.

Redfall’s offline mode arrives over a year after the game’s disastrous launch and following an ever-shrinking playerbase. In March last year, ahead of Redfall’s release, Arkane Austin said it was working on a fix that would reverse Redfall’s always-online requirement, an aspect that was met with backlash when first announced.

Redfall is one of the highest-profile disasters in Xbox history. The game was widely panned by critics and players at launch and reportedly had a deeply troubled development. Redfall’s launch struggles ultimately resulted in executives like Phil Spencer and Matt Booty issuing statements about Xbox’s own role in its weak release. Last year, then-Bethesda Softworks publishing head Pete Hines reassured players that Arkane wouldn’t give up on Redfall, insisting he was confident it would be a good game people wanted to play on Game Pass 10 years from now.

But it took over a month for Arkane to release its first big patch for Redfall despite the launch being criticized for having bland missions, boring combat, poor AI enemies, struggling performance, myriad bugs, an always-online requirement, and more.

It then took five months for the Xbox Series X version to get 60 frames per second support, and Arkane upset fans again the following month when its third patch was headlined by a new sniper rifle instead of highly requested features like the offline mode. And this was the last fans heard.

In our 4/10 review, IGN said: “Redfall is a bafflingly bad time across the board. Plagued with bland missions, boneheaded enemies, and repeated technical problems, Redfall simply wasn’t ready for daylight in this state.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Matt and Jesse recently visited Ubisoft Quebec to check out Assassin’s Creed Shadows for an IGN exclusive, and now they’re on the podcast chatting about everything from samurai to seasons to dynamic weather. Emma’s also getting involved with her thoughts on recent indie hit Animal Well, which has been gradually melting her mind with its fantastic puzzle designs.

As ever, there’s also the regular dose of madness thanks to your feedback, including a horrifying account of chickens being roasted in a machine that is categorically incapable of roasting meat.

Send in your food nonsense to ign_ukfeedback@ign.com (or questions and thoughts about games, TV, and films – we should probably stay on topic at least 60% of the time).

IGN UK Podcast 749: The Worst Way To Roast a Chicken and Other Stories

After teasing earlier this year that it would properly reveal the long-awaited return to the college football video game series, EA Sports has finally released the first official gameplay trailer for College Football 25. The trailer shows off the visuals, first looks at returning modes like Road to Glory, and some new changes fans can anticipate.

You can watch the new trailer above. Additionally, in a press release, EA shared new details about what is coming to College Football 25, such as the previously confirmed return of the fan-favorite modes Road to Glory, Dyanasty, and Ultimate Team, along with a new mode called the Road to the College Football Playoff.

A separate blog post detailing College Football 25 published by EA revealed that Team Builder will be included in College Football 25. Allowing players to create their own college football program. This custom team will be playable in both Play Now and Dynasty Modes, according to EA, with more details on Team Builder coming this summer.

More interestingly, EA confirmed that College Football 25 will introduce CampusIQ, which bundles several features that aim to bring “to life the true depth of college football.” Features like a Wear & Tear System and Pre-Snap recognition aim to challenge a player’s strategy to ensure maximum success for their favorite FBS school.

Beyond the diversity in play styles across all 134 college football schools, another thing that makes college football unique is the iconic settings, stadiums, and traditions. EA notes that College Football 25 will capitalize on the spirit of college football by offering rivalry rituals and unique team run-outs. It will also feature broadcasting and commentary from notables analysts and commentators, such as Kirk Herbstreit and Rece Davis.

The full reveal and details on gameplay come less than a day after EA announced the cover athletes for both the Standard and Deluxe Editions of College Football 25. In addition, the publisher revealed that College Football 25 will be released on July 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, though fans who buy the Deluxe Edition or the MVP Bundle will gain access to the game three days early.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Microsoft will soon announce its intention to release this year’s mainline Call of Duty game straight into Game Pass, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft will announce the plans during its Xbox showcase event in June.

“Microsoft plans a major shakeup of its video game sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte,” WSJ reported. Microsoft declined to comment when contacted by the publication.

The report tallies with recent comments from Xbox president Sarah Bond, who indicated all Microsoft’s games, including those developed by the recently acquired Activision, will launch straight into Game Pass.

Microsoft has faced tough questions around the potential cannibalization effect of Game Pass, particularly on games that launch on the service day-one. While Xbox executives have insisted sales can be boosted by a game’s presence on Game Pass, some publishers remain unconvinced. Former Activision boss Bobby Kotick, for example, was always against putting Call of Duty into subscription services. Unlike Microsoft, console rival Sony does not release its new exclusives straight into its subscription service.

In an interview with IGN last year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was asked how he’d handle his and Kotick’s different ideologies after the deal to buy Activision Blizzard closed. “Well, there’s a different person making the decisions,” Spencer laughed.

New Call of Duty games sell for $70 and usually shift around 25 million copies, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. By releasing this year’s Call of Duty straight into Game Pass, Microsoft potentially risks cannibalizing those sales.

Of course, Activision will also launch Call of Duty across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC as a game that can be bought outright. But with Game Pass subscriber numbers failing to grow meaningfully Microsoft is under pressure to attract new customers. Adding a mainline Call of Duty game at launch will no doubt help with that.

The Verge reports Microsoft is considering raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate again, and that Activision is currently targeting a late October 2024 release for this year’s Call of Duty, which is expected to be called Black Ops 6 after teasers discovered in Warzone were acknowledged by developer Treyarch. Microsoft is also rumored to be ready to release the Call of Duty back catalog of video games into Game Pass ahead of Black Ops 6’s release.

Microsoft is in the process of cutting 1,900 staff from its gaming business. Earlier this month, the company shocked the video game world by announcing the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. There are fears more cuts are to come.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.