A new report has exposed a “true crime” community of Roblox players who reenact real-life murders. A part of this group is reportedly dedicated to digitally recreating and playing through famous school shootings within the extremely popular free-to-play game. Suggested ReadingDisney's New Lo-Fi Goofy Video Is Hiding A Kingdom Hearts Tease Share SubtitlesOffEnglishview videoSuggested ReadingDisney's New Lo-Fi Goofy Video Is Hiding A Kingdom Hearts Tease Share SubtitlesOffEnglishOn April 21, the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism published a new report that goes in-depth on these digital school shooting games. The games, like nearly everything in Roblox, are created by users and shared online using Roblox’s in-game tools and browser. Many of the most popular school shooting simulators are created by a group known as Active Shooter Studios or A.S.S. A.S.S has reportedly created Roblox maps and online games based on mass shootings like those that have happened at Uvalde, Parkland, and Columbine. One of the studio’s most popular maps is “Carbine,” a Roblox recreation of the 1999 Columbine high school massacre which took the lives of a dozen students and one teacher while injuring many more. In “Carbine” players can take on the role of the shooters themselves and recreate the deadly shooting. As reported by the ADL, these maps aren’t just simple pieces of geometry that mimic a real world location. Instead they are highly detailed and contain disturbing features. The report says that one Roblox experience created by A.S.S. which recreates the 2022 Uvalde shooting features NPCs that resemble children who will hide under desks and play dead when they hear gunfire.Most of the experiences created by the studio reportedly end when the police arrive. Players can then fight to the death or commit suicide. Roblox removes content, but it keeps coming backA.S.S. has struggled to keep their maps available in Roblox as the company removes them quickly when they are reported or get flagged by internal moderation tools. The studio, which boasts a Discord server containing over 500 members, has resorted to using private Roblox servers to host their games behind a paywall. The idea is that this makes it harder for Roblox Studio to find and remove the games, all of which reportedly break many of Roblox’s community guidelines and rules.Bloomberg reports that Roblox has removed one of A.S.S’s groups which contained over 800 players after it was contacted by the ADL. The outlet reports that one of the games it witnessed featured a mob of players in front of Columbine yelling the white supremacist phrase “You will not replace us.” White supremacy plays a large part in the school shooting community on Roblox.Payers dressed as Columbine shooters Harris and KleboldScreenshot: ADL / Roblox / KotakuAs an example of how tricky it is to contain these types of disturbing games, Bloomberg reports that after Roblox removed the Columbine experience, a new mass shooting game from A.S.S appeared online. It reportedly quickly received over 1,00o visits before it was also removed.“Because such games recreate extremist-related mass shootings—such as the 2022 Buffalo shooting, in which the perpetrator deliberately targeted and killed Black people—they may also serve as a gateway to extremist content,” warns the ADL in its report. “Players might be prompted to seek out more information about these violent events, which can lead them to manifestos or videos created by the attackers. In some cases, they may also encounter content produced by accelerationist white supremacists, which glorifies these killers and aims to radicalize others to follow in their footsteps.”Roblox, Discord, and TikTok each told Bloomberg that they actively remove content focused on or glorifying extremists or violent crimes. Despite that, Kotaku was able to find numerous videos about “Carbine” and other digital recreations of school shootings on these platforms. YouTube and Reddit, where some of this content can be found as well, declined to provide a comment to the outlet. Roblox has over 80 million active users logging on every day. Many are kids or teens. The company has received criticism in the past for failing to keep the platform safe as it grows bigger and bigger. It has also come under fire for allegedly exploiting the children who make most of the game’s content. Roblox turns 20 years old next September.   .

Iconic Director And Proud Nerd Kevin Smith On Sneaking Into Movies, 'Mallrats', And More

Greetings from the Unity Graphics team!In this post, we will cover the latest improvements to the functionality and performance of the DirectX 12 (DX12) graphics backend. As of Unity 6.1, DirectX 12 is now set as the default graphics API for new projects.DX12 provides a modern, lower level and thinner abstraction for graphics acceleration. It was designed to better utilize multi core CPUs, by allowing applications to efficiently multi-thread the recording and submission of graphics commands to the GPU.We also recommend you watch the latest Unite Graphics Performance session, where we cover some of the latest improvements to DX12.Accelerate CPU performance with Split Graphics JobsThe new Split Jobs threading mode for DX12 improves on the older “Native Jobs” threading mode, by reducing synchronization between the main thread and graphics jobs thread.This is especially beneficial for CPU-bound games, which render large and complex environments, submitting many draw calls.As of Unity 6, Split Graphics Jobs are also supported in the Unity Editor for DX12, to improve the Scene and Game View rendering performance. You can now toggle Graphics Jobs from the Editor’s “Preferences” -> “Job Settings” panel.NOTE: DX12 multithreading comes with additional graphics memory cost, due to the allocation of additional resources per thread. This imposes a tradeoff between CPU performance and memory usage, and can increase memory usage compared to the single-threaded DX11.Beyond CPU performance, DX12 exposes the latest GPU capabilities to game developers, unlocking new ways to improve both fidelity and performance.Prevent rendering stutters with PSO TracingWith DX12, we can explicitly state the needed graphics states well ahead of rendering time, by creating and caching Pipeline State Objects (PSOs). This workflow eliminates application stutters/hitches, resulting in smoother rendering and game play.To enable this, Unity 6 introduces support for the new GraphicsStateCollection API. In the below example, we are using the API to precook PSOs before loading the scene. This results in a stutter-less flythrough of the Garden demo.For more information on PSO tracing, check the official Unity Discussions post.Balance shading performance and quality with Variable Rate ShadingDX12 also introduces support for Variable Rate Shading (VRS), to control the shading rate of pixel shaders and draw calls. Using the new VRS API in Unity 6.1, we can generate a shading rate image (SRI) from texture, or procedurally using shaders. Once created, we can apply the SRI using the CommandBuffer API, or using Scriptable Render Passes.In the example below, we are applying a lower shading rate to screen areas affected by motion blur. This reduces the pixel shading overhead, without noticeable degradation to visual fidelity.To learn more about Variable Rate Shading, check the official Unity Discussions post. Improve GPU utilization with Async ComputeAnother capability introduced by DX12 is Asynchronous Compute dispatch. This allows to overlap Compute Shader execution with heavy rasterization workloads, to improve GPU parallelism.. Raster-heavy passes (such as Shadowmaps) are often bound by geometry processing, and may not fully utilize the GPUs shader cores. By dispatching compute kernels asynchronously, we can increase GPU utilization and reduce frame times.For more information on DX12 exclusive features, please refer to the official documentation.Push fidelity to the max with DirectX Ray TracingUnity’s High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) utilizes DirectX 12 Raytracing (DXR), to achieve unparalleled visual fidelity and realism. This is demonstrated by the “Enemies” real time demo, which uses HDRP and DXR to achieve stunning visuals.Unity 6 provides production-ready support for Ray Tracing, along with DXR 1.1 feature level compatibility. This brings many improvements to ray tracing functionality and performance.Solid Angle Culling allows to improve ray tracing performance, by discarding objects that are too small or distant. You can enable angle culling via the HDRP ray tracing setting (Culling Mode), to significantly reduce CPU processing time Additional improvements to DX12 Ray Tracing include:Inline Ray Tracing in ShadersRay Tracing Acceleration Structure Build FlagsIndirect Ray Tracing DispatchIndirect Ray Tracing InstancingUnity 6 also reduces memory usage for DX12 Ray Tracing via:BLAS Compaction reduces the memory usage of static meshes.Custom GPU memory allocator for small BLASes reduces the memory usage of small meshes and details.MinimizeMemory flag can be set per MeshRenderer, to further reduce memory usage.Reduce memory bandwidth usage with DirectX12 Render PassWith the introduction of Windows-on-ARM support, DX12 also improves mobile (tile-based) GPU efficiency, via the new Render Pass API.The DX12 Render Pass is utilized by the Render Graph system in Unity 6, which automatically tracks and merges compatible render passes. In the example below, Render Graph is able to merge the geometry render passes, and load the GBuffer textures directly from on-chip tile memory. This can significantly reduce bandwidth and energy usage, along with thermals, allowing mobile devices to run for longer and at a stable framerate. To learn more about on-tile rendering in URP, see the Render Graph documentation. Accelerate Neural Network Inference with DirectMLIn addition to graphics improvements, DX12 can also improve the performance of Neural Network inference through the Sentis API. When using DX12 and the Sentis GPU backend, we observe up to 50% reduction in inference time when executing larger Convolutional Neural Networks.To learn more about DX12 acceleration for Sentis, check the official Unity Discussions post. Platform supportDirectX 12 is supported on modern Windows platforms. Please follow these instructions for checking which DirectX version is supported by your PC. You can also refer to Wikipedia for per-GPU information on DirectX 12 and feature level support:NVIDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nvidia_graphics_processing_unitsAMD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_graphics_processing_unitsIntel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_graphics_processing_unitsDirectX 12 may not be recommended on significantly old GPU models and outdated driver versions. If you are targeting legacy Windows devices, we recommend you still target DirectX 11 or keep it as a fallback API.Please give these latest DX12 improvements a try, and let us know what you think!You can follow our progress via the public roadmap. If you cannot find the feature you are looking for, feel free to submit a feature request, or contact the team directly in this thread or the graphics discussion forum.

Fortune Avenue A game by Binogure StudioDev snapshot: Godot 4.5 dev 2By: Thaddeus Crews8 April 2025Pre-releaseWith the 4.4 release a little over a month ago, one might’ve expected content updates to trickle out slowly for our initial 4.5 development snapshots. …Well, maybe not after seeing the 4.5 dev 1 snapshot, but surely they couldn’t follow that up with another flood of anticipated changes, right?You fools. You underestimate the passion of our community yet again, as 250 improvements are ready to roll for this snapshot. What’s more is that, unlike last time, we’re not just in bugfix territory any more. Now the time for proper enhancements and features entirely unique to this development cycle has come, and this blogpost will aim to highlight them to the best of our ability. As always: with new features comes new bugs (probably), so the sooner we can get feedback and bug reports in, the better.Jump to the Downloads section, and give it a spin right now, or continue reading to learn more about improvements in this release. You can also try the Web editor or the Android editor for this release. If you are interested in the latter, please request to join our testing group to get access to pre-release builds.The cover illustration is from Fortune Avenue, a capitalism simulator where you shrewdly extort and outmaneuver your friends in a chaotic, board-game environment. It is developed by Binogure Studio. You can wishlist the game on Steam and follow the developers on Bluesky.HighlightsIn case you missed them, see the 4.5 dev 1 release notes for an overview of some key features which were already in that snapshot, and are therefore still available for testing in dev 2.Dedicated 2D navigation serverFor the longest time, the navigation server was a unified beast. 3D and 2D, Yin and Yang, two sides of the same coin. While beautiful on a philosophical level and undoubtedly a heart-wrenching screenplay waiting to happen, it was a pretty sour deal for the 2D side of things. Previously, if you were making a 2D game and wanted to make use of navigational features, you were effectively locked into a bunch of 3D settings and features that would never see any use but would absolutely see a bump in output size.Steps have been taken during this initial 4.5 period to ensure that navigation logic is more cleanly divided and organized, spearheaded by our navigation guru smix8, but none of this could’ve been possible without cleanly splitting the navigation server in twain. Longtime contributor AThousandShips took the mantle on this project, and she successfully accomplished this goal with GH-101504. From now on, users will be able to selectively enable/disable the navigation modules for 2D and/or 3D, instead of being forced into an all-or-nothing ultimatum.Reorganized shader editor UIThe editor experience for shaders and visual shaders got some TLC in GH-100287. Helmed by Yuri Rubinsky, this PR provides several requested features and QOL updates to our shading friends. Below is a preview image taken directly from the PR in question, where you’ll find more information on what to expect when you get your hands on it this snapshot.Changing editor language without restartGodot has built-in support for handling multiple languages, both for the games you create and the editor itself. However, in contrast to games built with the engine, it wasn’t possible to change the current language on-the-fly within the editor itself. Our editor expert Tomasz Chabora addressed this issue in GH-102562, ensuring that users can swap to their preferred language within the same editor session! While this is somewhat niche in practice, our stance on convenience and accessibility is one that we take very seriously, and a seamless/streamlined editor experience is exactly the sort of thing we want as many users as possible to enjoy.Fragment density map supportWhen rendering for VR headsets, the pixels around the outside of the viewport are less important, because they will be somewhat distorted by the lens, and players will tend to turn their head rather than move their eyes too far from the center.Godot already supports using the Vulkan “Fragment Shading Rate” extension to render the outside of the viewport at a lower resolution, leading to performance improvements with little noticeable decrease in quality. However, on standalone VR headsets (like the Meta Quest), this extension either isn’t supported, or doesn’t provide as big performance improvements as the Vulkan “Fragment Density Map” extension.In GH-99551, rendering expert DarioSamo has implemented support for the “Fragment Density Map” extension, making the Vulkan Mobile renderer more viable for VR on standalone headsets.Wayland: Native sub-window supportThanks to the tireless efforts of Riteo, the X11 alternative Wayland has been given first-class treatment on Godot. It’s been a long road to stand as an equal to such a dominant display server protocol, but it’s getting closer with every passing PR; though some have been hesitant to make the change for one reason: lack of native sub-windows. Taking on this hurdle for parity was no small feat, but it was a requirement for supporting embedded game windows on Wayland, so (GH-101774) made it happen all the same:And more!There are too many exciting changes to list them all here, but here’s a curated selection:2D: Optimize usability of VisibleOnScreenNotifier2D (GH-100874).3D: Allow customizing debug color of Path3D (GH-82321).Animation: Add delta argument to _process_modification() as _process_modification_with_delta(delta) and expose advance() at Skeleton3D (GH-103639).Animation: Add selection box movement/scaling to the animation bezier editor (GH-100470).Core: Optimize Object::cast_to by assuming no virtual and multiple inheritance, gaining 7x throughput over dynamic_cast (GH-103708).Editor: Add UID to file tooltip (GH-105069).Editor: Improve default/no query quick open dialog behavior (GH-104061).Editor: Remove New prefix from EditorResourcePicker (GH-104604).Export: Updates and fixes to the Android prebuilt export logic (GH-103173).GDScript: Return early when parsing invalid super call (GH-104509).GUI: Improve Popup content_scale_factor (GH-104399).GUI: Optimize startup times by using ubrk_clone instead of ubrk_open (GH-104455).GUI: Scroll EditorInspector while drag & drop hovering near the edges (GH-103943).Import: Load decompressable texture format if no supported one is found (GH-104590).Navigation: Allow compiling templates without navigation features (GH-104811).Physics: Allow compiling templates without physics servers (GH-103373).Physics: Jolt: Update to 5.3.0 (GH-104449).Porting: Android: Add an editor setting to enable/disable TouchActionsPanel (GH-105015).Porting: Android: Add support for Mute Game toggle (GH-104409).Porting: Android: Auto create nomedia file to hide project files in media apps (GH-104970).Porting: Linux: Detect KDE/LXQt and swap OK/Cancel buttons to Windows style (GH-104959).Porting: macOS: Replace custom main loop with [NSApp run] and CFRunLoop observer (GH-104397).Porting: macOS: Support more controllers on macOS 11+ (GH-104619).Rendering: Avoid using a global variable to store instance index in canvas items shader in RD renderer (GH-105037).XR: Deactivate the CameraServer by default (GH-104232).XR: OpenXR: Clean-up OpenXRExtensionWrapper by removing multiple inheritance and deprecating OpenXRExtensionWrapperExtension (GH-104087).Changelog90 contributors submitted 250 fixes for this release. See our interactive changelog for the complete list of changes since the previous 4.5-dev1 snapshot.This release is built from commit af2c71397.DownloadsGodot is downloading...Godot exists thanks to donations from people like you. Help us continue our work:Make a DonationStandard build includes support for GDScript and GDExtension..NET build (marked as mono) includes support for C#, as well as GDScript and GDExtension.While engine maintainers try their best to ensure that each preview snapshot and release candidate is stable, this is by definition a pre-release piece of software. Be sure to make frequent backups, or use a version control system such as Git, to preserve your projects in case of corruption or data loss.Known issuesThere are currently no known issues introduced by this release.With every release we accept that there are going to be various issues, which have already been reported but haven’t been fixed yet. See the GitHub issue tracker for a complete list of known bugs.Bug reportsAs a tester, we encourage you to open bug reports if you experience issues with this release. Please check the existing issues on GitHub first, using the search function with relevant keywords, to ensure that the bug you experience is not already known.In particular, any change that would cause a regression in your projects is very important to report (e.g. if something that worked fine in previous 4.x releases, but no longer works in this snapshot).SupportGodot is a non-profit, open source game engine developed by hundreds of contributors on their free time, as well as a handful of part and full-time developers hired thanks to generous donations from the Godot community. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed their time or their financial support to the project!If you’d like to support the project financially and help us secure our future hires, you can do so using the Godot Development Fund.Donate now

The best RPGs can be hard to find. The long-running staple of the video game landscape is home to some of the most memorable games of all time, but by their nature, role-playing games tend to be a big time investment compared to some other genres. That's why we want to help you narrow them down and make the very best use of your gaming hours and dollars.The RPG genre is so large that there are multiple subgenres that some games can fall into depending on where they were created or their gameplay mechanics. You'll often see RPG elements pop up in games that otherwise largely fit into other genres; action-RPGs like the Diablo series have long been popular, while RPG-style character building have worked their way into shooters, action games, and numerous others. And the worlds, characters, and stories that developers create in RPGs have been turned into movie and TV franchises as well. While there are hundreds of RPGs that are worth your time, we're going to shoulder the difficult task of ranking the 25 best RPGs to play in 2025. As a note, this list only features one game from a given RPG franchise so that more specific titles can be included. However, that rule doesn't apply to developers, so you're going to see some entries from the same devs. Our selections are listed alphabetically. For more, be sure to check our picks for the best games on PS5, best games on Switch, and best games on Xbox. AvowedDeveloper: Obsidian EntertainmentRelease Date: February 13, 2025Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PCThe latest from Obsidian is another journey into the Pillars of Eternity universe, exploring a new corner and from a new perspective. Avowed puts you in the role of a Godlike, a mortal who has been touched by the gods and given special gifts--along with a plant-like growth that marks you as clearly distinct. You're sent as an envoy to investigate the source of a deadly plague, and you become embroiled in both royal and godly intrigue as you go. What makes Avowed stand out most, though, is the stellar first-person combat, which is great at making you feel connected with every swipe of the blade or flourish of your magic tome. It also takes place in a wide open world to explore, giving you plenty to do between your questing.Read our Avowed review. Baldur's Gate 3Developer: Larian StudiosRelease Date: August 3, 2023Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PCBaldur's Gate 3 is among the most renowned RPGs in recent years. The game of a generation for many RPG fans, BG3 is one of the impressive feats in the video game industry. A compelling narrative that grips you right from the start leads you to fantastic locations filled with quests, side activities, and characters to meet. Some of those characters can be recruited to your party, and all of them have distinct and enthralling quest lines to complete. The number of choices you can make in BG3 is truly mind-boggling, with each choice having the potential to alter your ending. You can also build your character in a variety of different ways, giving you total freedom to role-play whatever you want, which is truly what an RPG should be about. See on Steam BloodborneDeveloper: From SoftwareRelease Date: March 24, 2015Platforms: PlayStation 4Bloodborne is From Software at its finest when it comes to game design; the bosses in the world are extremely challenging, but all can be overcome, and the world flows together masterfully. It's also worth mentioning the Victorian-era setting of Bloodborne is a true marvel from an artwork perspective. Like with any From Software game, you may to think Bloodborne is the worst, most unfair game ever created at some point during your playthrough, but all the trouble is worth it once you reach the end credits. See on Amazon Chrono TriggerDeveloper: SquareRelease Date: March 11, 1995Platforms: SNES, Nintendo DS, PCChrono Trigger is a popular pick for many players' top RPG of all time, and there are no complaints about that here. Released in 1995 as the first entry in the Chrono series, the game takes you on a ride through time, visiting the past, present, and future. The story starts with a malfunction that leads to time travel but ends with a planet's fate in your character's hands. You'll visit prehistoric times, the end of time, and everything in-between in this historic RPG. See on Steam Diablo IIDeveloper: Blizzard EntertainmentRelease Date: June 28, 2000Platforms: PC, NIntendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|SDiablo 2 is the famous series at its finest, and it makes for an incredible RPG that still gets talked about to this day. Even if you don't want to play a now-ancient game, there's also Diablo II: Resurrected, which is a modern remaster of the classic title. Diablo 2 features an intriguing story, plenty of ways to build your character, and an experience unlike anything else on this list. See on Blizzard Divinity: Original Sin IIDeveloper: Larian StudiosRelease Date: September 14, 2017Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PCDivinity: Original Sin 2 is another RPG from Larian Studios, but this one came six years before Baldur's Gate 3. That fact makes it all the more impressive what Larian was able to do, as it designed yet another massive world full of unique characters and locations. While the characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2 aren't as memorable as ones in other RPGs, the world is absolutely unforgettable. From the start of the game, you're thrown into a conflict between magic users and those who wish to restrict all forms of magic. The plot in Original Sin 2 plays out beautifully, with your choices being the most impactful aspect of how the story ends. See on Steam Disco ElysiumDeveloper: ZA/UMRelease Date: October 15, 2019Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PCIf you're feeling burned out on combat in RPGs, then Disco Elysium needs to be the next game you play. Featuring a revolutionary dialogue system, Disco Elysium is a 25+ hour epic that takes you on the thriller of a lifetime. You play as a detective with some special skills you can use to your advantage when solving murders and other crimes. However, as with any good RPG, you can make a flurry of choices throughout the story that affect how the plot plays out in the end. The voice acting in Disco Elysium is some of the best you'll come across, and you'll be gob-smacked at how in-depth the dialogue system can be. See on Fanatical Dragon's Dogma 2Developer: CapcomRelease Date: March 21, 2024Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|SIf there's a constant in Dragon's Dogma 2, it's that there's always a surprise around the corner in this grand fantasy adventure. There's a sense of discovery at its core, a drive to hold onto that feeling of joy that comes from a case of virtual wanderlust as you stumble into new locations, people, and dragons along the way. The hack-and-slash combat feels as thrilling as ever--not surprising given that Devil May Cry's Hideaki Itsuno is the game director--the Pawn System feels magical this time around, and the world around you feels alive at all times. Don't be too surprised if Dragon's Dogma 2 results in your sleeping schedule getting wrecked, thanks to its "just one more quest" appeal.Read our Dragon's Dogma 2 review. See at Amazon The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimDeveloper: Bethesda Game StudiosRelease Date: November 11, 2011Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo SwitchThe Elder Scrolls franchise is arguably the best set of RPG games you can play. While this spot could have gone to Morrowind or Oblivion, the third and fourth entries in the series, respectively, we're choosing Skyrim for a couple of reasons. Not only does Skyrim have one of the best video game worlds to explore, but its cultural impact is as far-reaching as any other game on this list. When Skyrim was released, it became an instant phenomenon, as the developers pushed and exceeded the boundaries of what gamers thought an open-world RPG could be. Whether you're going into a random cave or completing a quest for one of the several in-game factions, you always have something enjoyable to do when playing Skyrim. If you play on PC, be sure to check out our picks for the best Skyrim mods, which can further improve your experience. See on Fanatical Elden RingDeveloper: From SoftwareRelease Date: February 25, 2022Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PCFew games have as much hype as Elden Ring had and manage to completely exceed so many players' expectations. From Software's masterpiece features one of the best open worlds ever created, full of highly challenging bosses and enemies around every corner. The sense of accomplishment you get for beating Elden Ring is next to none for most players, as conquering the entirety of this world is a truly difficult feat. Elden Ring's world is also built on top of extremely deep-seated lore that you have to uncover for yourself in the most peculiar of locations. While there's not much dialogue that occurs in Elden Ring, few games make you feel as deep of a connection to your character thanks to all of the hardships you go through with them in the Lands Between. If you jump, be sure to check out our many Elden Ring guides to help you make the most of the experience. See on Fanatical Fallout: New VegasDeveloper: Obsidian EntertainmentRelease Date: October 19, 2010Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360Fallout is one of the most recognizable RPG franchises in existence. Sporting several games in the series and plenty of lore to go around, it's tough to pick the best overall game from Fallout. However, as many fans of the franchise will likely say, nothing truly beats Fallout: New Vegas when it comes to RPGs. New Vegas pulls you in right from the get-go, as you're shot in the head by a mysterious man with the lights of the Vegas Strip in the background. When you awake, you're set off on a gripping tale with twists and turns around every corner. Your choices play a vital role in how the game ends and you're able to pick a distinct side when everything is said and done, something other Fallout games struggle with.You can see where we ranked the best Fallout games in a previous list. See on Fanatical Final Fantasy Pixel RemastersDeveloper: Square EnixRelease Date: VariousPlatforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo SwitchThe early Final Fantasy games were some of the most influential RPGs of all time, and the new Pixel Remaster versions are simply the best way to play them. Not only do the newly polished graphics and remastered music make the original pixel art and music shine like never before, each game also features boosts to aspects like EXP and Gold to speed you along. It's never been easier to experience these classics without all the grind. Some of these games have aged better than others--FF6 is the standout by far--but you can't beat having the whole early history of Final Fantasy in one package. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2Developer: Warhorse StudiosRelease Date: February 4, 2025Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|SRPGs often fall into fantasy and science fiction categories, allowing lots of room for magical spells and or alien environments. The Kingdom Come series is distinct in that it's set in historical fiction, placing it in a particular time and place: early 15th century Bohemia. That gives a more lived-in feel to the castle intrigue as you navigate the complex politics of the era, building up your influence in the region against the backdrop of a civil war. The combat has been more streamlined from the first game, and the quests are designed to give you lots of ways to approach them.Read our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review. Like A Dragon: Infinite WealthDeveloper: Ryu Ga Gotoku StudiosRelease Date: January 25, 2024Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|SIchiban Kasuga's second games as the face of the Like A Dragon series--previously known as Yakuza--takes him far away from Japan to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, in search of his long-lost mother. The lengthy story has all the heart and hijinks you've come to expect from the series, and returning minigames like Sujimon are joined by the new and massive Dondoko Island quest. That minigame, which could almost be an entire game in itself, has you managing an island resort to maximize customer satisfaction while chasing away ruffians. Think of it like Animal Crossing but with more beating up thugs with a baseball bat.Read our Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth review. Mass Effect 2Developer: BioWareRelease Date: January 26, 2010Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox OneThe Mass Effect series features one of the best overall stories an RPG franchise has ever told. While the ending, or endings, to Mass Effect 3 soiled the series for some players, there's no denying how much of an impact it had on future RPGs. As for the best title in the series, we're going with Mass Effect 2, which was a step up from the first game in most ways. The world is more expansive, the characters are fleshed out, and the gameplay keeps you hooked for the entire game. Your choices in Mass Effect 2 also set up the story in the third game if you import your save, which is a neat feature that's not seen often in games even today. 2021's Legendary Edition bundles together and remasters all three games from the original trilogy. See on Amazon Metaphor ReFantazioDeveloper: AtlusRelease Date: October 11, 2024Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|SIt's up for debate what the best Atlus-developed game is, but Metaphor ReFantazio makes a strong case for itself with its exquisite design, polished turn-based action, and a cast of characters that you'll grow to love. A celebration of stories set in a world rife with inequality, Metaphor ReFantazio mixes escapism with real-world issues and pragmatism with idealism, resulting in a story that feels both magical and all too real at times. It's a stunning journey from beginning to end, and you'll never feel like you've wasted a single minute in this lengthy odyssey. It earned the distinction as GameSpot's Game of the Year in 2024.Read our Metaphor ReFantazio review. See at Amazon Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorDeveloper: Nintendo / Intelligent SystemsRelease Date: May 23, 2024Platforms: Nintendo SwitchThe Paper Mario series is widely seen as one of the best of the Mario RPGs, and The Thousand-Year Door is a major reason why. The game originally published on GameCube got a vibrant remake on Switch, showing off what makes it so beloved in the first place. The colorful world never looked better than it does on Switch, and small quality-of-life tweaks and a retouched translation help it shine. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is especially notable for its array of great characters, especially a roster of usual Mario baddies who get infused with some personality to become his sidekicks.Read our Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door review. Persona 5Developer: AtlusRelease Date: October 31, 2019Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PCThe Persona franchise is widely recognized as one of the best the RPG genre has to offer, and the fifth installment is where the series has shined brightest. If we want to get more specific, Persona 5 Royal is the best version of the game as a whole, but Persona 5 itself won plenty of awards in 2019. You play as a high school student who receives their special Persona powers overnight. These powers allow you to transform into a Phantom Thief, patrolling the streets for corrupted adults to change them into good-hearted people. Persona 5 is distinct in that you still have to attend school and classes during the day, which adds a fresh social sim/RPG element to your experience. See on Fanatical Pokemon Legends ArceusDeveloper: NintendoRelease Date: January 28, 2022Platforms: Nintendo SwitchThis entry carries a few caveats with it. There are definitely better overall Pokemon games than Legends Arceus, including Platinum, Emerald Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Black 2 and White 2, etc. However, from an RPG standpoint, Legends Arceus allows you to truly step into the footsteps of the main character. The open world design mixed with classic Pokemon elements gives you as the player an unprecedented amount of freedom for a Pokemon title. The catching process in particular stands out, as there's much more depth to capturing a Pokemon and using your existing team to whittle down a foe's HP. Though Legends Arceus does have some standing issues, the game is perfect for those looking to fully dive into the RPG aspects of Pokemon. See on Amazon Shin Megami Tensei V: VengeanceDeveloper: AtlusRelease Date: November 11, 2021Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStataion 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo SwitchShin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a prime example of a game delivering both quality and quantity, as this remaster of the JRPG can easily consume dozens of your hours. The original game was a rough diamond, but this new version polishes those flawed edges and delivers an absurd amount of extra content alongside its quality-of-life updates. There was a lot to love about the original 2021 game, but the Vengeance edition amplifies its satisfying gameplay, vivid art direction, and engaging storyline.Read our Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance review. See at Amazon Stardew ValleyDeveloper: Eric BaroneRelease Date: February 26, 2016Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneWhile it might not seem like a traditional RPG, Stardew Valley is considered a role-playing game by its community and the original developer, Eric Barone. You inherit your grandfather's farm and have to tend to it in the best way you can. This involves heading into various towns to meet and talk to new people as well as exploring mysterious and dangerous locations across a large map. Stardew Valley is certainly a farming simulator, but the RPG elements are prevalent enough that it warrants a spot on our list. It's one of the best-reviewed Steam games of all time and still beloved by millions. See on Steam Suikoden 1&2 RemasterDeveloper: KonamiRelease Date: March 6, 2025Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchThe Suikoden games are considered among the best RPGs of all time for good reason, and that applies especially to the first two. Those games, Gate Rune and The Dunan Unification Wars, received a lovely HD remaster this year, featuring improved movement and retouched visuals. At the core, though, these are just the best way to play two classics of the genre, exploring a rich and detailed fantasy world and recruiting dozens of party members to your cause.Read our Suikoden 1&2 Remaster review. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven StarsDeveloper: NintendoRelease Date: March 9, 1996Platforms: SNES, Nintendo SwitchSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars features outstanding gameplay and a great story set against unique locations. This was also the first RPG in Mario, so Nintendo certainly started well. In Legend of the Seven Stars, Mario and Bowser, Princess Toadstool, and others are trying to retrieve the seven pieces of Star Road, which have been scattered across the world by the Smithy Gang. There are plenty of side activities and locations to visit to keep you busy in between completing main quests. A remastered version is now available on Nintendo Switch. See on Amazon UndertaleDeveloper: Toby FoxRelease Date: September 15, 2015Platforms: Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PCOther RPGs on this list are impressive for a variety of reasons, whether it be graphics, gameplay, story, RPG elements, or whatever else. With Undertale, the story is entirely different. The game was created and published by an indie developer named Toby Fox. While Fox might not have known it at the time, they made one of the best RPGs of all time. Few games have received more glowing reviews than Undertale, which sits at a 10/10 rating on Steam with over 100,000 reviews. The game looks incredibly simple at first glance, and it is, in many ways, as you play a child who has fallen into an underground world. However, the adventure you go on will stick with you for a lifetime. See on Steam Vampire: The Masquerade – BloodlinesDeveloper: Troika GamesRelease Date: November 16, 2004Platforms: PCIt's not often that a developer can pull off a vampire game or form of entertainment well, but Troika Games truly delivered a masterpiece back in 2004. Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines allows you to fully feel like a vampire, sucking blood from anyone you can find. However, along this basic journey, you're forced to make moral choices that shape your character and the story as a whole. There are warring factions, tons of lore, and unique characters that make your first playthrough extremely memorable. See on Steam The Witcher 3: Wild HuntDeveloper: CD Projekt RedRelease Date: May 19, 2015Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo SwitchThe RPG genre was in a slight rut for a couple of years during the mid-2010s, and then CD Projekt Red released The Witcher 3. A true masterclass in every sense of the word, The Witcher 3 lives on nearly 10 years after its launch as easily one of if not the best RPG ever. The final chapter for monster-slayer Geralt of Rivia, the game takes place across a war-torn map that's filled with gorgeous and dangerous locations. The storytelling, individual quests, characters, and choices you make all have a lasting impact on anyone who decides to pick the third chapter in The Witcher saga. The Witcher 3 also has two of the best DLC expansions ever released for a game in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. See on Amazon World of WarcraftDeveloper: Blizzard EntertainmentRelease Date: November 23, 2004Platforms: PCWhile you might not think of World of Warcraft when going over the best RPGs ever, it has every right to be included on this list. Arguably the best MMORPG of all time, World of Warcraft is one of the famous video game franchises of the 21st century. It still pulls in millions of players every year and has delivered steady content updates every year of its existence. World of Warcraft might not allow you to make as many story choices as other RPGs, but building your character and interacting with other players is extremely fulfilling no matter how many hours you have in Azeroth. New content continues to regularly roll out, with ambitious plans for the next three expansions, The Worldsoul Saga, being revealed at BlizzCon 2023. See on Amazon

Season 16 of Overwatch 2 is debuting a wealth of exciting features. Alongside releasing a new damage hero, Freja, a new competitive experience called Stadium is coming in Season 16. With the option to switch between first-person and third-person perspectives, MOBA-like elements, and familiar hero shooter mechanics, Overwatch 2's Stadium mode marks a historic first for the franchise.

We finally know the identity of the mysterious Force ghost that briefly haunts Anakin Skywalker’s back in the lava-filled showdown at the end of Revenge of the Sith. If you’ve watched Revenge of the Sith without ever noticing this guy, don’t worry. He appears in frame for just a split second and is really only visible if you’re watching in slow motion or going frame-by-frame. But he’s still there, a face frozen in time, peeking right over Anakin’s shoulder. Apparently, people have been talking about this guy since 2015, but in 2024, the mystery popped up on Reddit again — prompting one Industrial Light and Magic veteran to dive into the mystery. Todd Vaziri, who worked on Revenge of the Sith as a compositor, decided to dive into archival footage — not an easy task, considering the archival footage had been moved off the servers years ago. “I think it took 24 hours to unearth the footage and put it back on our servers. I was so excited, my heart was pounding out of my chest. No one had seen the original greenscreen footage for nearly twenty years,” Vaziri told Ian Kintzle for the Star Wars Celebration 2025 program. “The problem was I didn’t remember exactly what these plates looked like, both because it wasn’t my shot, and it was two decades prior. So I dug, and I dug, and finally I found the plate photography. I couldn’t believe it. There, on-set, was a man — likely a stunt rigger — wearing not a robe, but a peculiar shirt that resembled one, standing behind Hayden, manually puppeteering the greenscreen lava skiff that he and Ewan were fighting on. His face and the ‘Force ghost’ matched up frame-for-frame.” The 2024 Reddit thread also found the stunt rigger via some behind-the-scenes footage, but Vaziri found the exact frame that made it into the movie (which you can find on his website!). The exact identity of this stunt rigger is still unknown, but it’s pretty miraculous that this 20 year-old mystery has been solved to the exact frame. While this moment might technically count as a “mistake,” it’s also the result of some pure movie magic that shows how much hard, practical work went into the prequels. As Vaziri told Kintzle, “Nobody that was part of this process ever caught [the guy] and that’s how it made it in the movie. But in a way, I think it’s really wonderful. Plenty of my shots have mistakes in them, and as the saying goes: perfect is the enemy of good. We want our shots to be as perfect as they can be, but we can’t hit everything. In the last 20 years, we have evolved what we call the “Final Check” process, which is our way of scrutinizing shots before they leave ILM. An extra step of quality control, if you will. The bottom line is that we put human hands on every single one of the thousands of shots that you see in Star Wars. This world is handmade, and little things like this become part of ILM history.”

Aidan Gomez, the co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup Cohere, has joined the board of EV maker Rivian, according to a regulatory filing. The appointment is the latest sign that Rivian sees promises in applying AI to its own venture while positioning itself as a software leader — and even provider — within the automotive industry. Rivian increased the size of the board and elected Gomez, whose term will expire in 2026, according to the filing. Gomez has had a long career as a data scientist and AI expert. He launched Cohere in 2019 with co-founders Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang with a focus on training AI foundation models for enterprises. The generative AI startup sells its services to companies such as Oracle and Notion. Prior to starting Cohere, Gomez was a researcher at Google Brain, the deep learning division at Google led by Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton. Gomez is also known for “Attention Is All You Need,” a 2017 technical paper he co-authored that laid the foundation for many of the most capable generative AI models today. Gomez’s skill set could be particularly useful for Rivian as the EV maker navigates a new $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group to develop software. Under the joint venture, Rivian will share its electrical architecture expertise with Volkswagen Group — including its many brands — and is expected to license existing intellectual property rights to the joint venture. It’s possible the joint venture will sell its tech to other companies in the future. Rivian has also been working on an AI assistant for its EVs since 2023, Rivian’s chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, told TechCrunch during an interview in March. The AI work, which is specifically on the orchestration layer or framework for an AI assistant, sits outside the joint venture with VW, Bensaid mentioned at the time. Gomez’s expertise in AI and as a data scientist is clearly attractive to Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, who noted in a statement that his “thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services, and manufacturing.”