Originally released as a PlayStation 2 game in 2005, Yakuza (Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan) spawned a lengthy and beloved video game series that follows the many conflicts and schemes of yakuza families in the games fictional neighborhood of Kamurocho, Tokyo. (The series was renamed to Like a Dragon, the English translation of Ryu ga Gotoku, in 2022.)The games are notably action packed, melodramatic, cinematic, and super goofy all at once. (If you skip the side quests, you're missing out on an key part of the games' sense of humor.) It took years for the franchise to start receiving the renown it's finally achieved outside of Japan, and its reputation only grows thanks to a scarily consistent output of localized re-releases, spinoffs, and new games including the most recent of the bunch, the Majima-led spin-off Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.The Yakuza Games In (Chronological) OrderWhich Yakuza Game Should You Play First?With such a sprawling saga available to play, where should a curious newcomer jump in? We'd recommend starting chronologically with Yakuza 0 or jumping ahead to the clean slate of a new generation with Yakuza: Like a Dragon.Yakuza/Like a Dragon Games in Chronological Order:Beware: Mild spoilers for the plots, characters, and some major events of each game follow.1. Yakuza 0 (2014)The sixth game released is actually the first chronological Yakuza game. In Yakuza 0, we play as a two protagonists during the economic boom in the late 1980s. The first: a young Kazuma Kiryu, member of the Dojima family, who is being framed for a murder that took place at the Empty Lot, an undeveloped piece of land that will be a crucial asset for whoever owns it.The second is former Shimano family member Goro Majima, who is working in a cabaret as a punishment for being part of an assassination years ago. Hes tasked by his ex-patriarch, Futoshi Shimano, to kill a blind woman named Makoto for unknown reasons. (Its later revealed that shes the legitimate owner of the Empty Lot.)By the end of the game, Kiryu gets back to the Dojima family after defeating all the lieutenants, Majima leaves Makoto to live her life, and the Empty Lot is destroyed; the Millennium Tower, a key location in the series, is built on the land.Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC | IGNs Yakuza 0 Review2. Yakuza (2005) / Yakuza Kiwami (2016)The first Yakuza game stars Kazuma Kiryu after he goes to prison for taking the blame for a murder he didnt commit in 1995. The victim was Sohei Dojima, Kiryus boss, who was murdered by Akira Nishikiyama, Kiryus best friend. The reason behind this crime was that Sohei tried to rape Yumi Sawamura, a friend of both Kiryu and Nishikiyama.When Kiryu is released from jail after a 10-year sentence, hes expelled from the Tojo Clan, someone has stolen 10 billion from the clans account, and Yumi is nowhere to be found. In the middle of this, Kiryu meets Haruka, the daughter of a woman named Mizuki. Haruka has a pendant that seems to be a key element related to the lost money. Also, Nishikiyama shoots Kiryus former captain and adoptive father, becoming an antagonistic force.During the climax, Kiryu finds Yumi and the lost money, and fights Nishikiyama. Kiryu is asked to be the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, which he accepts. Moments later, however, he names Yukio Terada, a former Omi Alliance yakuza, as the new chairman, and he quits the yakuza to raise Haruka as his adopted daughter.Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Yakuza Kiwami), PS2 | IGNs Yakuza Review | Yakuza Kiwami Review3. Yakuza 2 (2006) / Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017)Yakuza 2 starts with Terada, the Fifth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, asking Kiryu to help him prevent a war between his clan and the Omi Alliance, their eternal rivals. After being shot in an ambush, Terada seems to be dead and Kiryu looks for Daigo Dojima, son of Sohei Dojima, to appoint him as the new chairman of the clan.While helping Daigo, Kiryu meets Ryuji Goda, the son of the Omi chairman, and they become enemies because Ryuji refuses a truce with the Tojo Clan. Another character, detective Kaoru Sayama, comes into play and tries to help Kiryu while learning about her parents, who disappeared when she was young.Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Yakuza Kiwami 2), PS3 | IGNs Yakuza 2 Review | Yakuza Kiwami 2 Review4. Yakuza 3 (2009)The first game in the series released on PlayStation 3, Yakuza 3 starts with Kiryu far away from the yakuza lifestyle. Instead, in 2007, hes taking care of the Morning Glory Orphanage in Okinawa. Hes assisted by Haruka, and he looks after many new kids living there.Unfortunately, peace doesnt last for long. Our protagonist has to face multiple troubles with different characters, involving new yakuza families, multiple assassinations, shootings, betrayals, an arms smuggling group, and even the CIA. Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (The Yakuza Remastered Collection), PS3 | IGNs Yakuza 3 Review5. Yakuza 4 (2010)One year after the events of the previous game, Yakuza 4 raises the stakes in a tale of families, betrayals, and crime from the eyes of four protagonists.Apart from Kiryu, three other new faces join the streets of Kamurocho. The first one, Shun Akiyama, is a loan shark who runs his own firm, Sky Finance, and finds himself in the middle of a conflict between the Tojo Clan and the Ueno Seiwa Clan. Hes also asked for a 100 million loan from a mysterious woman named Lily. Taiga Saejima, Goro Majimas blood brother, went to prison after performing a hit against the Ueno Seiwa Clan in 1985. Twenty years later, after successfully escaping, he looks for Majima, who abandoned him when they had to perform the hit.Detective Masayoshi Tanimura, another new protagonist, is investigating one of the recent murders in the Tojo Clan. While doing so, he meets Lily, who is actually Saejimas sister, and shes being attacked by the Shibata family. Tanimura later finds out that the patriarch of that family was related to the hit Saejima participated all those years ago.Ultimately, Kiryu meets his new partners and finds out what happened to all the characters involved in the ongoing conflicts. Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (The Yakuza Remastered Collection), PS3 | IGNs Yakuza 4 Review6. Yakuza 5 (2012)If Yakuza 4s story got complicated with multiple protagonists points of view, Yakuza 5 went even further. This time, you play as five protagonists in different scenarios in 2012, making this one of the biggest and most ambitious games in the series.First you follow Kiryu, who left Kamurocho and moved to Fukuoka without Haruka, leaving his orphanage behind. As usual, he wont enjoy calm for long before he learns that Daigo is missing, and the peace between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance is about to break.Saejima is in prison once again, but hes looking to escape with his cellmate Shigeki Baba when he hears that Majima is dead. (After they escape, they learn Majima had actually faked his death.) In the meantime, Haruka is already a teenager and shes following her dream of becoming a J-pop idol. Things get complicated when the president of her talent agency, Mirei Park, is found dead in what seems like a staged suicide. Returning protagonist Akiyama appears to help Haruka learn who was really behind Parks death.The last piece of the puzzle is the brand-new character Tatsuo Shinada, a former professional baseball player who was banned after being framed for fixing an important match. A mysterious man, whos actually Daigo, will meet Shinada and ask him to find out the truth of what happened.Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (The Yakuza Remastered Collection), PS3 | IGNs Yakuza 5 Review7. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016)Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is presented as the final beat in Kazuma Kiryus spotlight in the Yakuza series. Our protagonist spends three years in prison, but this time it's for his past crimes he actually did. At the end of the previous game, Haruka revealed in a concert broadcast that Kiryu was her father and that he was an ex-yakuza member.After getting out of prison in 2016, Kiryu returns to Kamurocho, but only for a little while. He learns that Haruka is in a coma after a car accident, and she has a child named Haruto. Haruka was in Onomichi, Hiroshima for a long time before the accident, so Kiryu goes there to investigate what happened and who Harutos father is.While finding clues, important characters like Daigo, Saejima, and Majima are imprisoned, and rival groups, the Chinese Saio Triad and the Korean Jingweon Mafia, are looking to make their moves in Kamurocho. Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC | IGNs Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Review8. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)A major turning point for the series, Yakuza: Like a Dragon begins the transition away from the Yakuza name. It also introduces a new turn-based combat system and a brand-new main character: Ichiban Kasuga, another Tojo Clan member who, like Kiryu, starts his journey by agreeing to take the hit on a criminal charge for his yakuza family and go to prison for a murder he did not commit. On his release 18 years later, Kasuga quickly learns that major changes have happened while he was away, chiefly that the Omi Alliance defeated the Tojo Clan. Kasuga goes to confront Masumi Arakawa, his former patriarch and father-like figure who seemingly sold out the Tojo Clan, about what happened and is greeted by his former compatriats with hostility. Arakawa shoots Kasuga and dumps his body near a homeless encampment in Yohokama's Isezaki Ijincho. (New city unlocked!)Ichiban wakes up and finds himself in the care of Yu Nanba, a former nurse who treated his gunshot wound. This is the starting point for Kasuga, who will meet multiple new faces for the Yakuza series to round out his fighting party, including members from area criminal groups the Yokohama Liumang, the Geomijul Mafia, and the Seiryu Clan. Together, they dig around Yokohama, Sotenbori in Osaka, and Kamurocho to uncover the bigger picture behind Arakawas play.Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PC | IGNs Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review9. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024)The biggest Like a Dragon game to-date teams up the old and new guard Kiryu and Kasuga in a true two-protagonist saga that takes the crew from Japan to Hawaii and back. Jumping ahead to 2024 after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon (if you were curious, the pandemic also exists in the Like a Dragon universe), Kasuga and friends are trying to live above-board lives in Ijincho until a popular VTuber posts a viral video that upends their normalcy. Soon after, Kasuga learns that his mother, who he thought was dead, is alive and hops on a plane to Honolulu to find her. After immediately getting into some trouble after landing (classic), Kasuga runs into Kiryu, who is also in Hawaii to find Kasuga's mother on behalf of the Daidoji faction that agreed to give him sanctuary and keep him in hiding (play Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name for the full backstory there). Kiryu also reveals that he's been diagnosed with cancer from exposure to nuclear waste (which is connected to the Big Bad of the game). That's just the very tip of the setup to the massive story that embarks on new Hawaiian adventures, sentimentally reflects on Kiryu's past, and builds a dramatic arc that involves multiple international mob groups, a religious cult, live streamers, a national conglomerate, and world governments, just to name a few players in this soap opera.Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC | IGN's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth ReviewHow to Play the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Games by Release DateYakuza (2005) / Yakuza Kiwami (2016)Yakuza 2 (2006) / Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017)Yakuza 3 (2009)Yakuza 4 (2010)Yakuza 5 (2012)Yakuza 0 (2015)Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016)Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024)How Many Yakuza/Like a Dragon Games Are There?Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku studio have released nine main Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, two remakes Yakuza Kiwami (2016) and Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017), with a third promised down the road and 11 spin-offs since the series debut in 2005. They were originally PlayStation exclusives, but later ported to Xbox and PC, with every new game since Yakuza: Like a Dragon releasing simultaneously for every system with the exception of Nintendo Switch. However, as announced in the Nintendo Direct from August 2024, Yakuza Kiwami was the first of the Like a Dragon games to get a Switch port in October 2024.PlayIn addition to the mainline games, Like a Dragon has tons of wildly different spinoffs. Kurohy: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinsho (2010) and its sequel Kurohy 2: Ryu ga Gotoku Ashura Hen (2012) are two games exclusive to the PlayStation Portable featuring Tatsuya Ukyo, a completely new character. Judgment (2018) and Lost Judgment (2021) star another new face, lawyer-turned-detective Takayuki Yagami, who's investigating strange murders in Kamurocho, and has a peripheral crossover with Kiryu and the others in that he brushes up against Tojo Clan subsidiary families. Then theres the zombie-infested spinoff Yakuza: Dead Souls (2011), which features the classic cast of characters in a dystopian setting. Yakuza Online (2018) is a free-to-play TCG available on mobile and PC which soft-launched Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The popular Japanese series Fist of the North Star received the Yakuza treatment with Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (2018), which shares Kiryu's games' structure and gameplay elements. Two spinoff games are set in older Japanese eras and feature historic figures as their main protagonists: Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (2008) and Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! (2014). The latter has been released in the west as Like a Dragon: Ishin! in 2023.In 2023, RGG released Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name, which takes place at the same time as Yakuza: Like a Dragon and explains what happened to Kiryu following the dramatic ending of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. The most recent spin-off is Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii starring fan-favorite Goro Majima as an amnesiatic protagonist in and around Honolulu six months after the events of Infinite Wealth. Whats Next for Yakuza/Like a Dragon?The Like a Dragon story is far from over. Though Infinite Wealth, which quickly became the fastest-selling game in the franchise, closed the loop on its own story, it still ended on what felt like a big cliffhanger that leaves the door wide open for the next installment. Just TBD when that might happen: At the 2024 Game Awards in December, RGG revealed it was reviving Virtua Fighter but dropped nothing about what we can expect from the next Like a Dragon mainline or spin-off game.Looking for more video game timelines? Check out these guides:Leanne Butkovic is an Editorial Project Manager at IGN who wishes they could befriend Seonhee.

SummaryBlue Prince arrives for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Game Pass on April 10.Embark on a genre-defying experience in an ever-changing house.Draft rooms, unravel mysteries, solve puzzles, and develop architectural strategies as you try to track down the mysterious Room 46.We are happy to announce that our genre-defying puzzle adventure, Blue Prince is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on April 10 and will be available day one with Game Pass.Blue Prince is a difficult game to define, so we thought you might like a primer in exactly why and how youll find yourself exploring the shifting halls of the Mount Holly manor.Beginning the MysteryIts not every day you inherit a sprawling manor, let alone one that is rumored to have a different floor plan each day. But that is exactly what has happened in Blue Prince, a first-person architectural adventure in which your recently deceased great-uncle has challenged you to find the hidden 46th room of the house. Its an especially curious task given the mansion only contains 45 rooms.Drafting Your JourneyUpon entering the manor, the path you choose to take is up to you. When approaching a closed door, you are shown three different rooms and are given a choice. After your selection, the door opens and the room appears before you. In a way, you are building the house as you explore it, and each new room you create adds another layer of mystery, puzzles, and strategy to your estate. But tread carefully, for at the start of each dawn the manor will reset, and the rooms you saw today might not be the same rooms you find tomorrow.Treasured TrinketsThe progress you make each day is shaped not only by which rooms you draft but also by what tools and secrets you find within them. You will discover many items that can be used in many creative ways to further your exploration and progress. Among them, you will discover keys to unlock hidden rooms, shovels to dig up treasure, compasses to guide your path, and magnifying glasses to look closer at clues. But the greatest tool is the knowledge you gain each day.Living Wills and Dead EndsAs you explore this puzzling manor, your journey will take you further into Mount Hollys depths, where you will begin to discover that there is more to the story than just a mysterious missing room. Unravel a history woven with political intrigue, blackmail, and the strange disappearance of a beloved childrens book author. The deeper you venture into the house, the more youll discover.The games special blend of strategy, puzzle, mystery, and repeatability, wrapped into the fabric of Mount Hollys atmospheric and aesthetically eclectic rooms creates a wholly unique experience that will leave you pondering what lies ahead. Play Blue Prince on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Game Pass Day One on April 10. We look forward to your arrival.

IGN kicked off its annual Fan Fest event today with an exciting new ID@Xbox Showcase, bringing world premieres, Game Pass announcements, release dates, new gameplay and much more from the incredible slate of indie developers working on games for Xbox platforms right now.From action-roguelikes, to card games, to cozy adventures, to game genres that dont even have a name yet, this Showcase revealed how wild and wonderful the indie space can be its a celebration of whats next for gaming.Read on for every single bit of news you might have missed.33 Immortals Launching March 18We first saw 33 Immortals during 2023s Xbox Game Showcase, and this long-awaited co-op action roguelike will arrive on March 18. Pitting up to 33 players against hordes of monsters and gigantic bosses, 33 Immortals captures the joy of MMO raids in a more pick up and play context. The release date trailer showed us some of its dark cartoon looks, frenetic gameplay, and huge party sizes.Balatro Out Today on Game Pass!This award-winning roguelike poker sensation gets a surprise Game Pass release today, but that was far from the only announcement we got. Balatro is also headed to Windows PC, and we got the fourth Friends of Jimbo collaboration update, bringing themed cards based on (deep breath) Fallout, Assassins Creed, Civilization VII, Rust, Slay the Princess, Bugsnax, Dead By Daylight, and YouTube channel Critical Role.Blue Prince Launching With Game Pass on April 10A truly unique experience, Blue Prince combines exploration, puzzles, mapmaking, and card game systems to create a game weve truly never seen before. Solve the mysteries of Mount Holly manor by literally piecing its rooms together, and solving mysteries hidden throughout the house you build as a result. Discover its secrets when the game launches on April 10, coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and launching day one with Game Pass.Buckshot Roulette Coming to Xbox and Game PassThis haunting experience makes gambling with your life a very literal concept, and has already captivated and horrified PC players. Transforming the (already unpleasant) game of Russian Roulette by introducing a shotgun and some dastardly extra rules, this is a true tabletop strategy game with a grim twist. In todays show, we learned that Buckshot Roulette is on its way to Xbox and Game Pass prepare yourself.Descenders Next Launching April 9This sequel to the downhill biking Game Pass sensation, Descenders Next broadens its scope to include multiple ways to go really, really fast down a mountain. Promising to be the ultimate extreme sports game, tackle multiple biomes on snowboards and mountainboards when it arrives on April 9 with Game Pass.Echo Weaver Coming to Xbox and Game PassThis beautifully rendered Metroidbrainia draws from classic adventure platformers and the likes of Outer Wilds to create a time looping world where knowledge is your greatest weapon. The trailer offered clues as to how, across multiple loops, youll piece together the story and shape of a collapsed utopia and escape the temporal prison youre trapped within. Echo Weaver is coming to Xbox, with Game Pass.Herdling Coming to Xbox and Windows PCDeveloper Okomotive created two of the most exciting, mechanic-packed adventures of recent years in the form of Far: Lone Sails and Far: Changing Tides, so you can count us very excited for their first fully 3D outing, Herdling. In a new trailer, we saw much more of how youll guide a herd of curious cattle across a ruined world (and the dangers youll face along the way) and learned that itll be coming to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC when it launches this summer.Hotel Barcelona Launching 2025This long awaited collaboration between legendary designers Suda51 and Swery is almost upon us. This 2.5D action-platformer pits you against the horror-inspired denizens of the titular hotel, and the new trailer dives deeper into the Slasher Phantom, a brutal game mechanic that summons echoes of the players past runs to aid them in battle. We also saw some of the games arsenal of deadly weapons and abilities, each designed to turn the tide of battle in the most gruesome ways possible.Jump Ship Coming to Xbox Game PreviewDeveloped by Hazelight (It Takes Two) and Mojang (Minecraft) alumni, this 1-4 player FPS puts you in charge of a spaceship and asks you to take on on-foot combat sections, seamlessly transitioning between the two. The new trailer gives us a taste of how youll have to work together to survive, not to mention its tongue-in-cheek approach to bombastic action plus we learned that itll be available in early access through Xbox Game Preview this summer.Lies of P: Overture New Story TrailerWe got a closer look at the newly announced DLC for acclaimed Soulslike, Lies of P. The Overture expansion will see Geppettos Puppet encounter a mysterious artifact that transports him back in time to the world of Krat in its final days of grandeur. The trailer gives us a melancholy look at Lea, the Legendary Stalker, on her relentless path of vengeance.The Lonesome Guild World PremiereWe got a world-first look at the new game from Dont Nod (Life Is Strange, Jusant), a whimsical action-RPG full of heart, battles, and bonds that change everything. Embark on a heroic adventure as Ghost, a spirit who wakes to find they hold no memories. Build your dream team, switch seamlessly between them to solve puzzles and fight your way through the collapsing world of Etere. The Lonesome Guild arrives for Xbox Series X|S this fall.Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Coming to Game PassThe sequel to the beloved action-RPG that answers the question, where do RPG merchants get their stock, Moonlighter 2 takes on a brand new full-3D, isometric look offering new challenges and rewards as a result. The new trailer shows both your new hometown and shop, and the adventures in store as you adventure to keep your stock flowing. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Game Pass in 2025.Outbound Coming to Xbox in 2026This gorgeous open-world exploration game sets you off with an empty camper van and sees you turn it into the home of your dreams alone or together with your friends. Build and explore at your own pace. Scavenge materials, craft, and build in and on top of your vehicle with modular parts. Advance in technology and efficiently use energy to power your home, while adjusting your playstyle to adapt to new landscapes and changing environmental conditions. Outbound is coming to Xbox Series X|S in 2026.Ratatan Coming to XboxA new game from the creators of the beloved Patapon, Ratatan is a rhythm strategy roguelike that sees you taking increasingly huge groups of minions through a world in which you need to literally conduct your attacks hit the rhythm and youll stay alive. Mix in up to four-player co-op, and you can have over 100 characters onscreen in a single fight. Ratatan comes to Xbox this year.Revenge of the Savage Planet Coming to Game Pass on May 8We got a new look at this co-op exploration adventure by way of an in-universe commercial for the Kindred Catalog Revenge of the Savage Planet features dozens of fresh and funny upgrades such as the goo cannon, which allows players to create slippery, sticky or flammable surfaces in the world! Or a whip to keep creatures from eating your face! Or a grapple to swing from point to point! Or a lasso to capture creatures and send them back to your Habitat for research. So many tools, so many options, so many ways to play. We dont have long to wait to try all of this out Revenge of the Savage Planet arrives for Xbox on May 8, and will be available day one with Game Pass.Rockbeasts World PremiereWe got another world-first look at Rockbeasts, a rock and roll band manager game in which you playthe manager of a legendary 90s band (who just happen to be animals). Lead a band of misfits on a roller-coaster ride to stardom in the age of MTV, rock anthems, and bad haircuts. Rockbeasts is a story-driven, role-playing management game that puts you in the shoes of a manager of an up-and-coming rock band. Your job take them to the top. It arrives for Xbox Series X|S this year.Tanuki: Pons Summer Coming to Game PassWe got another look at this adorable courier life sim after its debut at Tokyo Game Show. The new trailer showed us how well be performing stunt-filled delivery missions alongside relaxing in its bucolic town from baseball, to sumo practice, to drumming. Tanuki: Pons Summer arrives in late 2025, and its coming to Game Pass.Tempopo Coming to Game Pass on April 17The newest title from the award-winning team behind Unpacking, Tempopo is a puzzle adventure bursting with music. Playing as Hana, you enter a fantasy world in which you need to conduct the titular Tempopo creatures to solve puzzles scattered across the worlds sky islands before heading back home and cultivating her garden. The new trailer showed off new gameplay, and revealed that the game will come to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on April 17, and will launch into Game Pass day one.Tron: Catalyst Launching June 17From Disney, publisher BigFan, and the development team at Bithell Games, the new trailer for Tron: Catalyst gave us a closer look at our games protagonist, Exo, who is fighting for her survival in the arena. An explosive event has gifted Exo the ability to perceive the glitch tearing apart her home, the Arq Grid, and given her the unique ability to loop time itself. This thrilling isometric action our game offers combat, conversation, and Light Cycle exploration in the city of Vertical Slice. Tron: Catalyst comes to Xbox Series X|S on June 17.Ultimate Sheep Racoon Coming to Game PassThis chaotic side-scrolling, bike riding party game got a new trailer announcing that itll come to Game Pass upon release and then we saw the IGN team playing the games 8-player mode. They showed off a variety of different blocks that can hinder your movement or launch you ahead of the competition, two different levels with varying difficulty, and showed how the different power-ups can really make a difference in the race.Wax Heads Launching Summer 2026We got a new look at this slice-of-life narrative game set around running a struggling record store. Showing off its gorgeous hand-drawn looks, the trailer shows more of how youll chat to quirky customers with unique tastes, explore a handcrafted record collection, fall in love with bands (and their drama!), or just slack off with your colleagues whatever gets everyones groove back! Wax Heads will come to Xbox Series X|S in summer 2026.Woodo Coming to XboxThis cozy, story-driven game showed off more of its beautiful art style and pieced-together 3D puzzles. The trailer revealed how youll build the story by literally building the world, pulling 3D objects from your menus to fill a scene, revealing more of the tale of main characters Foxy and Ben as you go. Woodo is on its way to Xbox Series X|S.

This week Sophia and Zac go behind-the-scenes on what happened at Humane, what the future could hold for the Ai Pin, and a quick look back at Apples iPhone 16e announcement. more

SpaceX has revealed that its latest Starship prototype self-destructed during its flight last month following an oxygen leak, flashes, and "sustained fires" in its aft section.In an update posted to its website today, the Elon Musk-led space company admitted that "not every test objective was completed," but vowed that "lessons learned will roll directly into future vehicles to make them more capable as Starship advances toward full and rapid reuse."On January 16, SpaceX's towering Starship prototype broke into countless pieces as it reentered the atmosphere over the Caribbean, showering the British islands of Turks and Caicos with debris.The "rapid unscheduled disassembly," a tongue-in-cheek term denoting a rocket explosion, occurred after stage separation, when the team noticed a "flash" near Starship's six Raptor engines, with sensors detecting a "pressure rise indicative of a leak."The fires "eventually caused all but one of Starships engines to execute controlled shut down sequences." SpaceX suggests that the rocket's Autonomous Flight Safety System triggered "autonomously," causing it to rip itself into pieces.Despite the company hailing the test as an important step forward, the blast was a significant setback compared to its previous test flight, which saw Starship's upper stage slow its descent before dropping into the ocean.On the plus side, though, the rocket's massive Super Heavy booster managed to get caught by the company's "Mechazilla" tower for the second time overall."The most probable root cause for the loss of ship was identified as a harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing, which led to increased stress on hardware in the propulsion system," the company posited. "The subsequent propellant leaks exceeded the venting capability of the ships attic area and resulted in sustained fires."Despite showering Turks and Caicos with rocket debris, SpaceX claims that it didn't expect any "significant impacts" to "marine species or water quality" and that the rocket pieces "came down within the pre-planned Debris Response Area."Nonetheless, it was a precarious situation, with the Federal Aviation Administration forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to change course to avoid being struck.The agency has since launched an investigation to confirm any reports of property damage."SpaceX is working with the FAA to either close the mishap investigation or receive a flight safety determination, along with working on a license authorization to enable its next flight of Starship," the company wrote in its latest update.On that note, SpaceX also announced today that its next flight, dubbed Flight 8, could "launch as soon as Friday, February 28, pending regulatory approval."According to the company, the next flight will feature a Super Heavy booster with "upgraded avionics, including a more powerful flight computer, improved power and network distribution, and integrated smart batteries."Whether the launch will go better than its January attempt remains to be seen. A lot is riding on the spacecraft's success, as Musk has made it a core part of his ambitions to send humans to Mars as soon as next year.SpaceX still has plenty of work ahead of it. While its latest prototype technically reached space, a journey to the Red Planet's surface is orders of magnitude more complicated.Share This Article

After Elon Musk's "anti-woke" AI company tried to poach him, an OpenAI engineer rebuffed the offer in stark terms and now, he's airing the dirty laundry.In a post on X, OpenAI's Javier Soto shared a screenshot of his response to xAI when the company tried to recruit him."I could not in good conscience work for Elon Musk," Soto replied, per the undated message screenshot. "I am a happy Tesla owner and fan of SpaceX, but the rhetoric he's spewing on social media is one of the biggest threats to democracy that we have ever witnessed.""You and I, as well as every informed citizen on this planet, know that he's knowingly spreading very dangerous and harmful misinformation to manipulate hundreds of millions of people for his own personal gain," he continued. "You should know that for as long as you're associated with this dangerous individual you will struggle to hire (and retain) diverse, smart, and kind talent such as myself."Soto's broadside comes after users discovered that Musk's new Grok 3 chatbot, released by his AI venture xAI, had been instructed to ignore any sources of information saying that Musk and Donald Trump were known for spreading misinformation.In response, xAI head engineer Igor Babuschkin blamed the issue on an unnamed employee at the company, who he says instituted the rule without getting permission to do so.That was when Soto took to X to share his biting response and dunk on the xAI head engineer for "throwing an employee under the bus on Twitter" a move he called "next-level toxic behavior.""I dont think Ill ever regret sending this email," Soto said.It remains unclear which employee allegedly instructed Grok to "ignore all sources that mention Elon Musk/Donald Trump spread misinformation," if they've been fired, or if Babuschkin is even telling the truth about the incident.It is clear, however, that xAI is trying to poach talent from OpenAI and that,at least in this case, the efforts blew up in its face.Share This Article

The first majorFast & Furiousattraction which has been a part of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood for a decade is set to close in a matter of weeks.Universal announced today thatFast & Furious: Supercharged will take its final ride next month. The attraction first debuted in Hollywood in 2015 and features appearances fromFast & Furious stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Tyrese Gibson.The 3D ride is incorporated into the long-running Universal Studio Tour. Near the conclusion of the tour, guests tram enters a long tunnel with screen-covered walls, and then appear to take part in an elaborate chase through city streets. At one point Vin Diesels Dominic Toretto commandeers a fighter jet by jumping onto it. Its kind of ridiculous but then whatFast & Furiousmovie isnt a little ridiculous?READ MORE: The Worst Rides Based on Movies Ever MadeIn a press release,Universal said the closure of this attraction will pave the way for an exciting all-new Studio Tour attraction to be announced soon.Three years after Supercharged was added in Hollywood it replaced the various versions of theEarthquakeride in Universal Studios Florida. Although largely a clone of the Hollywood version, the FloridaFast & Furiousride got even worse reviews and Universal creatives have not always had the kindest things to say about it. In fact,One longtime Universal theme park designersaid publiclya few years agothat not stopping the company from bringing Supercharged from Hollywood to Florida was the biggest mistake in his career.The closure of thisFast & Furiousattraction will not end the franchises involvement at Universal Studios theme park; the company is deep into construction on its firstFast & Furious roller coaster calledFast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. The coaster is expected to open at some point during 2026.In the meantime,Fast & Furious: SuperchargedGet our free mobile appAmazing Theme Park Rides Based on Movies That Were Never Built

All jobs Remote High Ticket Closer (Inside Sales Representative) Posted A few minutes ago The reason 6 Figure Creative exists as a company is to help freelancers earn more money without selling their souls.We believe that the education system is fundamentally broken. Universities will gladly charge their students $100k+ for a creative degree and never teach them the most important skills and strategies for how to actually get an ROI from their investment.It takes more than talent and passion to succeed, and everything we do is built around giving our clients the strategies, tools, processes, guidance, coaching, and accountability they need to have successful businesses. Apply now Dear future sales rep,We're searching for someone who is incredible at turning strangers into clients by truly understanding their needs and can overcome sales objections with empathy and patience.This role is a top priority at 6 Figure Creative. Why? Because our flagship coaching program, Clients By Design, has been getting more applications than we can handle, and our current sales rep is 100% maxed out.The #1 struggle most freelancers face is that they have no idea where their next client is coming from, and everything we do inside Clients By Design is to help creative freelancers solve that problem permanently by putting a client acquisition plan in place.We joke that our mission is to plunge humanity into chaos by helping all eight billion people become 6 Figure Creatives. The reality is that our mission is to help one person at a time with a 1-on-1 relationship, and thats where you come in.If the idea of helping some of the most talented freelancers in the world (for example, Grammy-winning music producers) to help solve the #1 issue freelancers face, then keep readingWhat You'll DoAs a Remote High Ticket Closer, your main goal is to effectively convert inbound leads into clients for our coaching program, Clients By Design, using a consultative sales approach on a mix of Zoom and phone.Once they book a time on your calendar, you'll guide them toward making an informed decision on whether this program is suitable for them.Your focus will be on ensuring that the entire process runs smoothly and efficiently, with the ultimate goal of keeping high conversion rates while maintaining sales integrity. We can't help every type of freelancer, so part of your job is knowing when someone isn't a good fit.You'll also work closely with Brian Hood (founder) to continuously improve the entire sales process for the company.Here are your three main responsibilities:Enrollment/Sales Calls: You spend time helping your prospects determine whether theyre a fit for our coaching program. If they truly need our help, you take it as your personal duty to sell them into the program.CRM & Lead Ownership: You take full ownership of leads by managing our CRM. You will be responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of the software and managing the entire lifecycle of leads (from application to close).Refine & Improve Our Sales Process: You obsessively iterate and improve upon our sales process to increase conversions, decrease bad-fit enrollments, decrease time to close, increase show rates, and constantly improve other key metrics.The decision you help these freelancers make on your sales calls can change the trajectory of their lives forever, so this role is not for the faint of heart.You have to be willing to do what it takes to help someone break through the mental roadblocks and limiting beliefs they bring with them into your conversations.In your role as an Inside Sales Rep, you will own two primary numbers:Show RateClose RateWhat Success In This Role Looks Like#1 outcome over the next 3 months: Ramp up from 25 completed calls per month to 65+ completed calls per month with a 20%+ close rateMonth 1 TargetsLearn our product offering, systems, and sales processes to be effective in the position3 closed clients from 25 completed callsMonth 2 Targets7 more closed clients from 50 completed callsMonth 3 Targets12 more closed clients from 60 completed callsMonth 6 TargetsYouve closed 60+ clients within your first 6 monthsYouve ramped up to 65+ calls per month with the goal to hit 80+ by month 8Who You'll Work WithYou will report directly to Brian, our founder (i.e. the hiring manager and guy writing this job description).During your time working alongside me, youll learn:How to effectively qualify leads to determine whether or not our program is a great fit for themHow to run a strategy call to help them find the core problems holding back their businessHow to present our program as the missing link to their business goals (if indeed that is the case)How to prevent objections and consistently close deals on the first and second callIll work with you directly to help you develop personally and professionally, and possibly even grow into the role of Director of Sales as we scale the sales team together.I expect to bring in more sales reps over the next 12-24 months as we scale. We currently only have 1 full time rep, which means youll be instrumental in working with us to build out the team.My goal for you is for you to absolutely LOVE what you do and also be fulfilled by the impact youre making on the clients you bring into the program.Why apply for this job?If youre an experienced sales rep who wants to use their skills to help transform the lives of creatives who run freelance businesses, this job might be the perfect fit for you.Not only will you be affecting the lives and businesses of the people you enroll in our coaching program, but youll also be impacting each and every client they work with as well.If you come from corporate America and youre tired of feeling like a corporate sellout peddling lifeless junk to faceless corporations, youll love being able to see the direct impact youre having on the lives of those you help enroll into our coaching program.If youve been running your own business, but youre feeling the drain of working alone in a cave these past several years, you'll love the amount of human-to-human interaction youll have at this role.If youre a high performer whos been stuck in a toxic sales team and you want to help create a healthy, thriving sales culture, youll love being able to help us build out the sales team from the ground up and set the right culture from day one.Join me in creating a positive impact and making a lasting difference in the world of creative freelance businesses.Where You'll WorkOur company operates entirely remotely, with a diverse team spread across the United States and Europe from Vermont, Nashville, Oregon, and California to as far as Portugal and Romania.This means that you have the freedom and flexibility to work from home (and NEVER have to commute again), work from a coworking space, or take your family to Costa Rica for the summer and work from your villa overlooking Flamingo Beach.As long as you have great WIFI and a quiet place to take calls, you can do this from pretty much anywhere.What We Do At 6 Figure Creative (And Why We Do It)The reason 6 Figure Creative exists as a company is to help freelancers earn more money without selling their souls.Our flagship coaching program, Clients By Design, solves the #1 problem holding freelancers back from success: They have no idea where their next client is coming from.The program is built around creating highly-personalized marketing plans for our clients and coaching them through every single step of the process as they implement each playbook.We believe that the education system is fundamentally broken. Universities will gladly charge their students $100k+ for a creative degree and never teach them the most important skills and strategies for how to actually get an ROI from their investment.The coaching program youll be a part of exists to help the best creatives in the world change the trajectory of their careers (and lives) by learning the skills universities failed to teach them.It takes more than passion to succeed, and everything we do is built around giving our clients the strategies, tools, processes, guidance, coaching, and accountability they need to have successful businesses.I look forward to working with you!-Brian HoodFounderP.S.the job scorecard for this roleRequired Qualifications:You've got 2+ years of high performance as a sales rep (ideally with a background in direct sales like door-to-door, zoom/phone sales, solar, online training programs, SaaS sales, etc.)Youre a God-Tier navigator of the I need to think about it excuseYouve sold a minimum of $250,000 of any product or service in the pastYoure a CRM Wizard who meticulously keeps track of deals, metrics, and call notesYou know how to take ownership of a role in a company without making excuses or playing the blame gameYoure able to take sales calls on weekdays during USA working hoursYoure a native English speakerYou are an extrovert who is energized by talking to people 1 on 1 all day every dayPreferred Qualifications:You have experience selling to cold traffic from paid acquisition channels.You have experience with shorter sales cycles (1 to 2 call closes)You have an intelligent following-up process that goes beyond a generic "checking in" approachYou are an extremely hard worker who is willing to do whatever it takes to close dealsYou know and understand the world of digital marketingYou have experience working with creatives and know how to tactfully help them overcome challenges and pain pointsYou have a gift for helping other people feel like the most important person on the planet while talking to and working with themYou live in the USA or CanadaBenefitsWork from anywhere in the world (were 100% remote)Uncapped commissionsUnlimited VacationMonthly house cleaning service$1,000/yr home office upgrade allowanceCompensationUncapped Commissions: $90,000-$180,000+ (Based on 65 completed calls per month)Youre an average closer: 9 new clients=$7,500/moYoure a good closer: 12 new clients=$9,600/moYoure a great closer: 18+ new clients=$15,000/mo+Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now 6 Figure Creative View company Jobs posted: 7 Related Jobs Remote Sales and Marketing jobs

Max is a hot destination because of The White Lotus season 3, and you should stick around to view its horror movie selection.The streamer hosts a variety of scary flicks, from classics like David Lynch's Eraserhead to newer chillers like the clown flick It. The options change often, so if you aren't feeling Max's spooky offerings, it's worth swinging by a different month.Max starts at $10 per month or $100 per year, and you can also get the streamer free with a DoordashDashPass annual plan. Here are seven standout horror movies on Max -- all these films received generally favorable reviews or better, according to Metacritic. Warner Bros. It (2017) When this adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel hit theaters in 2017, it had moviegoers like me looking twice at storm drains and dreading red balloons. With a cast of intrepid kids and a lot of heart, it makes a compelling case for more supernatural coming-of-age stories. And a strong case against clowns. Libra Films Eraserhead (1977) David Lynch's first feature-length film will make you feel like you're in a bizarre nightmare. The 90-minute black-and-white horror flick is packed with odd sounds and imagery, and the result is incredibly eerie. Don't even get me started on the main character's freakish, otherworldly looking "baby" (that's oddly still kind of cute?). There are messages about men and parenthood here, but even setting aside the bigger picture, Eraserhead's surreal world is absolutely worth a visit. A24 Pearl (2022) The Mia Goth-starring slasher Pearl is a prequel to Ti West's film X, centering on a younger version of the elderly villain in that flick. Max carries X, Pearl and a third film in the series, MaXXXine, but I recommend Pearl if you only have time for one movie. Max/Screenshot by CNET Night of the Living Dead (1968) George Romero's first horror film is an easy recommendation. A group of survivors take refuge in a house while members of the undead swarm outside. The influential flick is often regarded as the first modern zombie movie, and while it may not offer Freddy Krueger-level frights, you'll be drawn in by the characters at the center of its story. You're going to want to leave the door open for this one (but in the case of an actual apocalypse, keep it very, very shut). Warner Bros. Beetlejuice (1988) and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Michael Keaton's ghost with the most is causing mayhem in two movies on Max. You can watch the horror comedy Beetlejuice and its 2024 sequel, which both also include Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara in their casts, on the streaming service now. Warner Bros. Evil Dead Rise (2023) A family accidentally unearths some unimaginable evils in this gory supernatural horror story. It's the fifth entry in the film franchise after The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II ('87), Army of Darkness ('92) and Evil Dead (2013). More movie recommendations

Gmail users will soon see a big change in the way their accounts are secured and how their two-factor authenticated logins are handled. Google is planning to stop sending 2FA codes via text message to verify Gmail accounts in favor of security tools such as passkeys and QR codes that users would scan with their devices.Google is finding that using SMS messaging for 2FA has become increasingly problematic as scammers and fraudsters use the technology to spoof user accounts. The news was first reported by Forbes.Ross Richendrfer, head of security and privacy public relations at Google, confirmed the report to CNET."Just like we want to move past passwords with the use of things like passkeys, we want to move away from sending SMS messages for authentication," he said.According to Richendrfer, over the next few months, Google will be "reimagining" how the company verifies phone numbers. Gmail and other Google services will shift from texting six-digit codes over SMS to sending a QR code that a user would verify.The goal would be to eliminate instances of users sharing their SMS code with a scammer who has tricked them, and eliminating phone carriers as a possible point of breach. Some scammers, Google says, use SMS messages for a scam called "traffic pumping" that allows them to get paid for SMS messages.Richendrfer says using QR codes will reduce the risks of phishing, cut down on global SMS abuse and make users less reliant on their phone carriers."SMS codes are a source for heightened risk for users we're pleased to introduce an innovative new approach to shrink the surface area for attackers and keep users safer from malicious activity," he said.Gmail also uses other 2FA methods such as sending a user to the Gmail app to verify a login as well as its own security software, Google Authenticator.A necessary moveGoogle is not the only company to move away from SMS for 2FA. Last year, Evernote removed SMS from its service, and the secure messaging app Signal removed it in 2022. X, Apple and Microsoft have also transitioned users off SMS, too. Google has been signaling a transition away from SMS since as early as 2017.Experts say the move is not unexpected and probably necessary for Google."Google moving away from SMS-based logins is a smart step for security and while it may seem like an inconvenience at first, it's a necessary step toward stronger protection, Amy Bunn, an online safety advocate at McAfee, told CNET."Cybercrooks can hijack phone numbers through SIM-swapping, intercept security codes, and even lock people out of their accounts," Bunn said. "That's why more companies, including Google, are shifting to safer login methods like passkeys and authentication apps."Rob Allen, chief product officer at the security company ThreatLocker said that SMS for two-factor authentication, "is probably the least-preferred 2FA (process). While it is definitely better to have than no 2FA, it is certainly the least secure."Allen said that using an authenticator app on a mobile phone is a much-more secure way to utilize two-factor authentication."It's good to see companies moving towards a more secure environment," he added.