Being stuck inside can suck big-time, but thankfully, online storefronts and developers are taking note and giving away a bunch of games for free to help us kill the time. Games across PS4, Xbox One, PC, and more are all being given away, and there’s even a free-play period coming up for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey from March 19-22. Because of this, we’ve decided to collect all of the games that are currently free for a limited time so you can easily claim any you’re interested in. This list won’t include any games that are normally free-to-play–like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends–but you’re sure to find something to fall in love with, whether it’s an old PC classic, a must-play iPhone game, or a brand-new game.
Of course, it’s important to remember that you may already be subscribed to a service that gives you access to free monthly games. PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold, and Twitch Prime all currently have free games available for the month of March, and more are scheduled to arrive in April.
We’ll keep this list updated as more free games become available, so stay tuned throughout the week. In the meantime, check out all the free games you can claim on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile below.
Free PS4 games
PS Plus:
Free Xbox One games
Games with Gold:
Free PC games
GOG:
Steam:
Twitch Prime:
Free iOS games
Free Android games
Free-to-play
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Following the conclusion of Apex Legends‘ System Override Event, which officially wrapped up on March 17, developer Respawn Entertainment confirmed that the new Evo Shields are here to stay.
This item was exclusive to the Deja Loot LTE. Now that System Override is done, Evo Shields can be seen in Ranked, the quick-play mode Play Apex, and “limited-time modes moving forward.”
Evo Shields are upgradeable armor pieces that progressively grow stronger as you deal damage to enemies. Despite it starting out weaker than a common white body shield, rain enough bullets on your opponents and it’s possible to upgrade the Evo Shield above a legendary gold body shield. But there’s a catch: Evo Shields retain their progress when dropped, so it’s likely you or your enemy could come across a fully-upgraded shield on the battlefield.
System Override may have ended, but Evo Shields are here to stay. Find them in Ranked, Play Apex, and limited-time modes moving forward. pic.twitter.com/axVqFqzVHW
In a feature discussing the Evo Shields, associate editor Jordan Ramée said he loves how the new piece of equipment affects Apex Legends’ meta. “The Evo Shield rewards players who are willing to try other strategies, such as flanking an enemy’s position, taking a few shots at a team too far away to commit to, or utilizing an ultimate ability to split up an enemy squad,” Ramée wrote. “These aren’t glamorous roles, but doing them can now reward you with powerful body shields. Players will likely begin adopting these strategies, all of which add a significant new wrinkle to a battle royale that’s largely been focused around close-range engagements.”
Though System Override is over, Apex Legends has seen a bunch of updates since the limited-time event started on Tuesday, March 3. This includes changes to Bloodhound, a minor adjustment to Wattson, and more. But be warned, though: in case you haven’t downloaded the update already, it’s pretty big.
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Over the weekend I was enjoying Ori and the Will of the Wisps (free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate), when I encountered a giant spider boss. This screen-filling arachnid was difficult to hit, and even when I did, I only chipped away a fraction of its health. After dying a few times, I decided to turn off the game to try again later. But now I was trapped in the house and didn’t feel like playing a game. What to do instead? I opened a book.
Anyone else who wants to use this time to kick off a healthy reading habit should check out this deal at Amazon. Between now and April 30, many Amazon customers can get two free months of Kindle Unlimited. Click here to see if you’re eligible for the deal. (Note, you can cancel the subscription immediately after signing up. You’ll still get the two free months without having to worry about being charged when your trial ends.)
Kindle Unlimited offers limitless access to a massive digital library of books, comics, audiobooks, and current magazines. You’ll get virtually infinite hours of entertainment, perfect for these strange times of social distancing.
In terms of comics, Kindle Unlimited offers an almost ridiculous number of popular titles: Walking Dead, Locke & Key, Sandman, Star Wars, Batman, Battle Angel Alita, The Boys, Swamp Thing, and even Calvin and Hobbes. If novels are more your speed, you can read the entire Harry Potter collection, plus Hunger Games, Wool, and many other popular series.
Honestly, there’s no reason not to sign up for this trial. If you like it, you can keep it running for $9.99 per month. If you want to get the free time and drop it after, cancel immediately to turn off auto-renew, and you’ll still be able to use the entire service until the trial ends. It’s a win-win.
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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
Amazon has notified third-party sellers that it will only continue stocking essential items in its warehouses until April 5, due to demand generated by concerns over the coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Amazon, according to a report by Yahoo Finance, has listed six categories that will qualify for continued stocking at its numerous warehouses, where it fulfils deliveries for third-party sellers on its behalf for a fee. The only items allowed into its warehouses will be baby products, health and household items, beauty and personal care, grocery, industrial and scientific, and pet supplies.
This means that stock for any items outside of those categories cannot be replenished until Amazon lifts the restriction. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to order anything else right now, but stock will be limited until then. Amazon notes that it is applying this to its first-party products as well.
Third-party sellers can still ship stock to customers directly, bypassing the need to store it in Amazon’s warehouses and have delivery fulfilled by the company. This could likely result in slower shipping times, if sellers decide to go this route at all.
Amazon have already announced the hiring of an additional 100,000 workers to help meet demand in its warehouses as more consumers order items from home while in self-isolation. The spread of the virus has had a massive impact on both the gaming and entertainment industries too, with multiple events already cancelled.
In a series of tweets, Leto has revealed that he has in fact been on an isolated 12-day desert meditation retreat, and has only just emerged to discover what is happening. “Wow. 12 days ago I began a silent meditation in the desert,” he wrote. “We were totally isolated. No phone, no communication etc. We had no idea what was happening outside the facility.”
“Walked out yesterday into a very different world,” Leto continued. “One that’s been changed forever. Mind blowing–to say the least. I’m getting messages from friends and family all around the globe and catching up on what’s going on.”
Wow. 12 days ago I began a silent meditation in the desert. We were totally isolated. No phone, no communication etc. We had no idea what was happening outside the facility.
Walked out yesterday into a very different world. One that’s been changed forever. Mind blowing – to say the least. I’m getting messages from friends and family all around the globe and catching up on what’s going on.
Leto’s next movie is the Spider-Man spin-off Morbius, which is currently set to arrive on July 30. Unlike many of the summer’s other big movies, the release of Morbius hasn’t been delayed yet. Or perhaps the movie’s producers were waiting for Leto to emerge from the desert to talk to him about it.
Leto isn’t the only person currently in the news for not knowing about the pandemic. As reported by the BBC, contestants on the German edition of Big Brother have been isolated in the house in which the reality show is filmed for more than a month. Following criticism that broadcaster SAT.1 had not told the 14 men and women in the house about the coronavirus, they will now be informed today, March 17, in a live TV special. They will also be allowed to ask questions about the pandemic and speak to relatives.
The need to socialize is a primal part of human nature, so while the world practices social distancing, it is important to fill that void. Luckily, there is a Google Chrome extension that allows you and your friends to watch Netflix together without having to be in the same room.
Netflix Party is a simple-to-use extension that allows people to watch something together. You can catch up on what’s happening in your lives in the chat or MST3K/Rifftrax a movie together. So in order to test out Netflix Party, we needed to pick out a movie to watch, and what better movie than Horse Girl, which has a very bizarre trailer. Considering “horsie movies” is already a weird inside joke with the entertainment team, why not watch this movie together?
GameSpot’s Mat Elfring, Chris Hayner, Dan Auty, and Will Potter “partying”
After Netflix Party is installed, the person running the party selects a movie on Netflix, then clicks on the “NP” button in your browser, to the right of the address bar. From there, you start the party and get a specific URL to copy and send to your friends. You can also select whether you have control over the movie or if everyone else can. But how does it work?
As you can see, the chat box pops up on the right side. You can customize your chatroom name and pick from a few avatars. It is very basic, but it brings back a very nostalgic feeling of hanging out in an AOL chatroom–why didn’t any of us write “A/S/L?” The person controlling the party is streaming their Netflix account to the others in the group, so there is a tiny bit of a delay, but that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things since it’s a chatroom.
The only issue with Netflix Party was finding out how to exit. There’s not button in the chat section to do this. Very quickly, we learned you just exit the movie, and that’s all you need to do. The most obvious answer is the correct one.
Netflix Party is available now, so you can add it to Chrome and all watch horsie movies together.
Id Software’s Doom Eternal launches this Friday, March 20 on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with a Nintendo Switch port coming sometime down the road. You can check out our Doom Eternal review-in-progress for thoughts on what to expect, but how long does it take to beat? With it being a sequel to 2016’s excellent Doom, it’s worth looking at how Doom Eternal compares in length to its predecessor.
For those who haven’t played it or don’t remember, Doom clocks in at about 11 hours long, according to game length tracker How Long To Beat. Those 11 hours only included the main story, though; you’re looking at closer to 16 hours if you do some side content and a little over 25 hours if you’re a completionist. While Doom Eternal isn’t available just yet, the sequel took our reviewer about 16 hours to complete, after gathering most collectibles and skipping some optional in-game encounters.
In total, Doom Eternal has 13 chapters that will take you anywhere from about 14-20 hours to finish, depending on how you comb through the game. Earlier this year, director Hugo Martin said Doom Eternal’s main campaign is supposed to be well over 20 hours long, which does seem to be the case if you’re being thorough–you can spend a fair amount of time investigating every last corner to find all of the available collectibles, which include various in-game upgrades, classic Id game soundtracks, and more.
Epic Games has rolled out a new update for Fortnite. The game’s 12.20 patch is now live on all platforms, and while the developer is continuing its streak of not sharing patch notes, there’s one obvious new addition to the battle royale shooter this week: helicopters.
The choppa is a brand-new aerial vehicle that can be found at helipads across the island. While it isn’t outfitted with any weapons itself, it seats up to five players–one pilot and four passengers–and lets you fly around the map. You can take a look at the new vehicle in the trailer below.
Beyond that, some areas of the map have been update. As Fortnite News points out below, the oil rig has been destroyed, while the soccer pitch at Pleasant Park has been turned into a helipad.
The update has also kicked off a new Spy Games limited-time event, which includes a corresponding set of challenges and a new mode called Operation: Dropzone. Unique to this mode is a Tech system that allows you to unlock weapons, items, and special abilities as you play matches.
Season 2 of Fortnite Chapter 2 is currently slated to end in April, so there are still a lot more challenges on the way over the next few weeks. If you need help completing any earlier missions from this season, we’ve rounded up all of our maps and guides in our Fortnite Season 2 challenges hub. Be sure to also check out our Fortnite Season 2 roundup to catch up on everything that’s new in Epic’s popular battle royale game this season.
Amazon tends to be generous with deals on its own hardware during blowout sales like Prime Day and Black Friday, so if you’re interested in any of Amazon’s tablet or smart devices, that’s usually the best time of year to shop. However, you can get one of Black Friday’s best tablet deals in today’s Deal of the Day at Amazon, where the Fire HD 8 tablet (16GB) is down to $50. That’s $30 off its usual price of $80, but you’ve got less than 24 hours to claim it (and it may sell out before the day is over).
The Fire HD 8 tablet comes with an 8-inch HD display and is available with 16GB or 32GB of storage. The 32GB option is on sale as well, selling for $70 instead of its usual $110, but you can add up to 400GB with a microSD card. The Fire HD 8 tablet holds up to 10 hours of battery life, features a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, and, of course, comes with Amazon’s friendly AI, Alexa. The Alexa integration allows you to use the tablet hands-free and can play media, answer questions, and much more.
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet – $50 (was $80)
This tablet was designed for entertainment, so it’s great for watching shows and movies, reading ebooks, listening to music, and playing games. If you’re already an Amazon Prime member, you’ll get unlimited streaming of movies and TV on Prime Video, many of which can also be downloaded for offline viewing, as well as ad-free access to over two million songs on Prime Music.
The tablet earned a solid 8.1/10 in our sister site CNET’s Fire HD 8 review. Critic David Carnoy appreciated the multiple small upgrades to the 2018 version of the Fire HD 8, including the better front-facing camera, expandable microSD storage, bright screen, and loud speakers, but noted its display isn’t as sharp as the iPad’s and the need for a Prime membership to really reap its benefits. “The latest HD 8 isn’t much of an upgrade over last year’s model, but the ‘always-ready’ hands-free Alexa feature is a nice addition to what remains the best tablet value,” he wrote.
When I went to last month’s preview event for Persona 5 Royal, I spoke with senior localization manager Yu Namba about some of the changes Atlus West made to the new version of the game. In our conversation, he mentioned that two gay characters, who were portrayed as predatory in the original version, had their lines of dialogue tweaked. Namba and company recognized the issue, saying, “the community had a very strong response,” and mentioned the process the team went through to change these scenes.
Well, now that we have the localized version of P5R, I’ve been playing it and have about 60 hours clocked in at this point (you can get my thoughts so far in the video below). This also means we can see how these scenes have actually changed in the localization process.
The following is one of those scenes from the original version of Persona 5. It’s the first time you encounter the two gay characters that approach Ryuji in Shinjuku:
Uncanny Voice: Oooh, a real huuuge catch, you say? I’m getting pumped too!
Scruffy Romantic: What a cutie! And so muscular too. I give you an 85 out of 100!
Ryuji: Gah! Wh-Who are you!?
Beefy Trendsetter: Gwahahaha! I’m the naughty troll of Shinjuku! I’m gonna eat you up!
Ryuji: H-Hey, wait… Lemme go!
Ryuji: Dude, help! You can hear me, can’t you!?
Ryuji: You just gonna leave me here like this!? C’mon, your best friend’s in trouble here!
Beefy Trendsetter: Hehehe, what an energetic studmuffin, I’ll give you all the freebies you could ever desire!
Scruffy Romantic: The night is young, and so are you! Let’s party it up!
A snippet of the scene in question from the original version of Persona 5.
The following is how that same dialogue sequence plays out in Persona 5 Royal:
Deep Voice: Ooh, you’re right! He really WOULD be a natural! But, a graphic tee with plaid pants? Ugh, kill me now.
Ryuji: Whoa, who the hell are they!?
???: Oh, hell has nothing to do with it, honey. I’m Angel–straight out of heaven!
???: And I’m Julian. Julie, if you’re feeling saucy!
Angel: What a cutie! You’d never guess he was into the drag scene… I say we show him the ropes!
Julian/Julie: You can’t deny it! We saw you peeking into Crossroads! Well, sweetie, if you’re curious, we’ll help you look DIVINE!
Ryuji: Wait, hey, it’s not like that–
Ryuji: Dude, help! Tell them we were just investigatin’, or something!
Ryuji: You just gonna leave me here like this!? C’mon, your best friend’s in trouble here!
Julian: Oh, honey, you’ve got the chutzpah. And those cheekbones–I LOVE it! That’s what it takes to be a star!
Angel: Just follow my lead, stud! We’re gonna put your name in lights! And I know just the dress for you…
That same scene, but from Persona 5 Royal.
One thing to note is that the context behind why the scene takes place is much different, too. In P5R, the two characters here noticed Ryuji peeking into Crossroads, which is a crossdresser bar ran by the character Lala-chan and where you just met with confidant Ichiko Ohya to progress the story. This prompts the couple to approach Ryuji about getting him to do drag. In the original game, they simply approach Ryuji after overhearing his conversation with Joker about their investigation and Ryuji being pumped about it.
Another thing to note is that the two characters now have actual names–Angel and Julian/Julie–instead of odd descriptors for names. And there’s no longer an implication that one of them put their hands on Ryuji as he no longer says, “lemme go!”
As for the dialogue options you have in response to Ryuji’s predicament, the original game lets you say the following lines:
“So this is Shinjuku…”
“You’re so popular.”
“Show them your inner man.”
In P5R, your dialogue choices have changed to the following options:
“Can’t blow our cover.”
“But you’re a natural.”
“Knock ’em dead.”
Is the change in P5R a better portrayal of these characters than what’s in the original? Yes, by miles. Is it a decent portrayal of these characters on its own? I’m not sure. I’ll be updating this article with a look at how the beach scene with the same two characters later in the game was changed as well.
