HBO’s hit series Westworld will be returning for Season 3 on March 15. The futuristic sci-fi series has seen its characters go through some unique changes, mainly robots realizing they are robots and revolting in one way or another. If you need a quick refresher before Season 3 airs, check out our breakdown of what happened to every character at the end of Season 2.
The network behind the series has released the schedule for the first four episodes, revealing the release dates along with the episode titles, leading into April. Check them out below.
Westworld Season 3 release schedule and episode titles:
Episode 1: “Parce Domine” – Sunday, March 15
Episode 2: “The Winter Line” – Sunday, March 22
Episode 3: “The Absence of Field” – Sunday, March 27
Episode 4: “The Mother of Exiles” – Sunday, April 5
Additionally, the episode description for Episode 1 was revealed: “If you’re stuck in a loop, try walking in a straight line.” Because this series is filled with mystery, surely all the Westworld fans will pick this a part. The kickoff to the new season will be written by executive producers Lisa Joy & Jonathan Nolan, with Nolan directing.
The final trailer for the upcoming season was recently released, and there is a lot going on–so much so that we took an in-depth look at it. Watch it for yourself and try to figure out just what’s going to happen in the new season. Then maybe check out one of the official Westworld trailer remixes, which turns the series into a RomCom.
The latest season of Westworld has plenty of fresh faces coming on to the show, including Aaron Paul, who is seen in various trailers for the show. Paul will be joining Vincent Cassel (Black Swan), Lena Waithe (Master of None), Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi), Marshawn Lynch (Former Seattle Seahawks runningback), John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom), Michael Ealy (Stumptown), and Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy). Below, you’ll find the returning cast for the new season.
Westworld Season 3 returning cast:
Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores
Thandie Newton as Maeve
Ed Harris as Man in Black
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard
Tessa Thompson as Charlotte
Luke Hemsworth as Stubbs
Simon Quarterman as Less Sizemore
Rodrigo Santoro as Hector Escaton
Season 3 of Westworld will air Sundays on HBO between 9-10:10 PM ET / PT.
Final Fantasy VII Remakes demo released recently and people are already starting to create speedruns. Using tricks that other people have found, we make our own attempt to power through the demo in less than 20 minutes. For those looking to try their own speedrun, we use tricks like lock on dashing, roll cancelling, and taking advantage of Punisher stance to make short work of the demo.
Final Fantasy VII originally released in 1997 and has been one of the most popular games ever since. The remake is coming out April 10–the reimagining of Cloud, his friends, and the entire world has been long awaited for more than 20 years. You can now get your hands on the free demo available on the PS store.
The demo recreates the Bombing Run mission from the original, with Cloud and the AVALANCHE crew making their way to the mako reactor. You fight the Scorpion Sentinel and many enemies along the way.
Disney’s Mulan is projected to have a domestic debut of $85 million, according to early tracking.
If The Hollywood Reporter‘s tracking is correct, Mulan will beat every other opening in 2020 so far with Bad Boys for Life, the biggest 2020 opening as of now, poised to drop to second place at $68.4 million. To put into perspective what an $85 million opening for Mulan looks like, Disney’s last remake of one of their animated classics, 2019’s The Lion King, brought in $185 million during its opening weekend.
The Lion King soared above last year’s live-action Aladdin, which opened to $91 million, and tracking shows Mulan to be just under Aladdin. $85 million is nothing to scoff at though. Aladdin eventually surpassed $1 billion at the box office. $85 million would still place Mulan into the upper echelons of domestic openings for Disney’s live-action remakes.
You can catch up on all things Mulan by checking out a sneak peek trailer from this year’s Super Bowl and by looking at some recent character posters. We’ve also got some official photos from the movie to tide you over until you see it in theaters later this month.
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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
Looking to upgrade your laptop? Amazon has some pocketbook-friendly discounts on all the latest models of Apple’s MacBook lineup. That includes the MacBook Air as well as both the 13- and 16-inch versions of the powerful MacBook Pro. If you want to save up to $300 on an Apple laptop, now’s your chance. Read on for the details.
The standard MacBook Air is a great computer for anyone who doesn’t do heavy-duty tasks regularly. And you rarely see it drop below $1000, where the baseline model resides today. These machines come with dual-core eighth-generation Intel Core i5 processors, 8GB RAM, and Intel UHD Graphics 617. You have a choice between a speedy 128GB SSD or a 256GB one.
If you need a little more power than the Air can provide, you’ll want to step up to a MacBook Pro. These machines come with eighth-generation 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processors and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655. They sport 8GB RAM and super-speedy SSDs. They also have four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, the handy Touch Bar, and TouchID scanners to use in place of clunky passwords. The only choice you have to make is how much storage you want the SSD to have.
The newest addition to the MacBook Pro family is the 16-inch model. These beastly machines feature ninth-generation Intel Core processors with up to eight cores, 16GB RAM, and AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series graphics. The other big selling point here is that the 16-inch Pro’s keyboard runs on an updated scissor mechanism that offers more travel and (probably) better reliability. I use “probably” there just because they haven’t been on the market as long as the previous butterfly mechanism keyboards.
Any way you slice it, the 16-inch MBP is a beast, and it’s price reflects that. But you’ll save up to $300 by buying from Amazon right now instead of Apple. Might as well, yeah?
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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
Developer Remedy Entertainment has confirmed that its surreal action-adventure game Control will get some new content and improvement sometime this month on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The studio’s communications director Thomas Puha tweeted that Remedy will drop The Foundation DLC at some point this March. With that expansion’s launch, which is part of the game’s $25 Season Pass, Remedy will also implement some quality-of-life improvements to enhance Control’s gameplay. These improvements include more tweaks to the maligned map and “some other requested” changes. Puha provided no concrete date for when to expect these adjustments, but he did say Remedy will “show and talk about it soon.”
The Foundation will be Control’s first major expansion and follows December 2019’s Expeditions DLC. Revealed as part of Control’s roadmap, The Foundation will see Jesse Faden descend beneath the Bureau to restore order the Oldest House. The Foundation originally had a vague “early 2020” date attached to it and will be followed-up by Control’s second expansion, AWE, in mid-2020. It seems the AWE DLC may connect Control to one of Remedy’s most popular games, 2010’s Alan Wake.
The Foundation is coming this month, we will show and talk about it soon. @ControlRemedy will also get is March update with that which will have things like an improved map and some other requested quality of life improvements. Bummed about not going to GDC and SXSW tho 😭
In other Remedy Entertainment news, the studio confirmed it has three games in development, with two of them recently entering pre-production. One particular in particular remains unannounced, but all three will run on the studio’s in-house Northlight game engine, the same one first used in 2016’s Quantum Break and seen in Control.
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Alex Garland’s new tech-thriller mini-series questions the fabric of the universe, the existence of free will, and the n
Alex Garland’s Devs is finally here, and following its two-part series premiere on Hulu, we’re guessing that you’ve got some questions swirling around your head. Don’t worry, we did too. We’ll just cut right to the chase here and admit that we don’t know anything about quantum computing, so this show is a learning experience all around–but, hopefully, it’s one that will continue to both delight and terrify us for six more episodes.
If you’re a fan of Annihilation or Ex Machina, chances are you’re pretty familiar with Garland’s dense visual style. Symbolism? Check. Ominous foreshadowing? Check. Layers upon layers of double, sometimes even triples? Check, check, and check. And Devs is bringing all of that to the forefront in a major way. Following Lily, an encryption programer at a massive Silicon Valley tech company named Amaya, as she struggles to unravel the truth of her boyfriend Sergei’s mysterious disappearance, Devs is one part tech-thriller, one part existential nightmare set in the fantastic (but not too fantastic) present day. It makes use of tech that doesn’t exit, but definitely could, and examines exactly what our responsibility is should that fantasy become reality.
We’ve broken down every little detail, subtle nod, or potential mystery trailhead you’ll want to follow or note for the reason of the season. Did you catch anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
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Sergei’s phone
Did you notice that the first thing Sergei does during his introductory shot is to first unplug then check his phone, before even saying good morning to Lily? This probably didn’t seem all that strange at first, but given the major reveal about Sergei’s other job as a Russian spy, it’s safe to assume he was checking on instructions or communication from his handlers.
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Pete the homeless guy
Pete, the homeless man who lives on Sergei and Lily’s stoop, got a really surprising amount of screen time in episodes 1 and 2. We’re guessing that there’s going to be something more going on with him. He’s probably someone you’ll want to pay attention to
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Amaya
It doesn’t take much to put two and two together about the origin of Amaya’s name. Our first shot of the company campus features her giant statue looming over the forest. It’s later, in the second episode, that Forest confirms Amaya was the name of his late daughter.
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Qubits
Forest explains that competitors are pissed that Amaya’s “qubits” work and theirs don’t–this isn’t sci-fi technobabble invented for the show. A qubit is a real unit of information used in quantum computing.
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The Nematode
Another real thing that wasn’t invented for the show–Sergei’s team’s AI system can predict and sync up with the movements of a nematode, a real-life microscopic organism.
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Fibonacci Numbers
Lily’s teammate challenges her to list off numbers–the whole thing starts seemingly out of nowhere, but it feels like something they’ve definitely done before. They’re going through a Fibonacci sequence, where each number is the sum of the previous two numbers–so 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 and so on.
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Alchemy
One of Sergei’s guesses as to the Devs mission is cold fusion, which Forest dismisses as “alchemy.” In other words, he considers it impossible.
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Faraday cage
One of the Devs unit’s layers of protection is a Faraday shield, also known as a Faraday cage, which shields the insides from electromagnetic waves–or, it seems, in this case, keeps those waves in.
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“The Machine”/The Central Unit
If you’re unfamiliar with real-world quantum computing, you might assume (like we did) that the machine in the Devs unit is some sort of steampunk-flavored art piece designed for the show. It’s not. That’s actually what real life quantum computers look like.
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Sergei’s Watch
Sergei may be genuinely clutching his face in awe at the sight of the quantum computer, but it also conveniently places his “James Bond wrist watch” in position to snap a picture.
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Sergei’s freakout
At the time, it seemed like Sergei’s freak-out was related to his nerves about stealing Amaya’s code–it’s a scary thing to do, obviously, for more than one reason. But knowing what we know now, it seems equally likely that Sergei could have realized what the Devs code was doing and, in that moment, understood that Forest already knew he had come to Amaya as a spy. After all, if the code calculates cause and effect, it could have traced the causes that led Sergei to where he was.
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Forrest, Savior
Did you catch how the light halos around the trees give Forest a halo of his own? It’s pretty hard to miss.
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Forrest and Kenton’s bit
Kenton and Forest’s conversation with poor, panicking Lily seems too well-oiled to be unpracticed. It’s either something they rehearsed beforehand, or it’s a bit they’ve done before because Sergei is not the first person they’ve made disappear. Either way, the implications are pretty ominous.
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Colossus by DF Jones
Lily’s reading a classic sci-fi novel about super computers taking over the Earth.
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“That was clumsy.”
Before we learn about Amaya’s tragic fate, we get a tease from Katie, who relates a child falling ill to something that will make even the most rational people start praying. She immediately realizes her mistake and says “that was clumsy.” Forest, for his part, seems unbothered.
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Sergei “Pavlov”
Knowing what we know about Sergei, we can assume his name is an alias given to him by his handlers as cover. They just so happened to pick a last name that he’d share with Pavlov, the psychologist most famous for studying conditioned reflexes–in other words, manipulating cause and effect.
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Forest’s car
Forest’s entire life is frozen in time, apparently at the moment his daughter died. You can approximate this by noticing the car he’s still driving–an early ’00s Subaru Outback.
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Dark Souls 3
Jamie’s definitely a gamer. We meet him in his apartment playing Dark Souls 3.
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Bach and Coltrane
Stewart namechecks classic composer Bach and jazz legend Coltrane to try and one up Lyndon. OK, boomer.
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2000 year backward projection
The Devs unit makes an unprecedented 2000 year backward projection, showing us none other than Jesus Chris on the day of his crucifixion. The implications here–along with the added layer of Judeo-Christian symbolism–are pretty wild.
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Alienware
Jamie, being a True Gamer, uses an Alienware branded laptop in his efforts to crack Sergei’s Sudoku messaging app.
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Battery Godfrey
Lily meets with Anton at Battery Godfrey, a real historical site at the Golden Gate Bridge.
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
Note: this is a mostly spoiler-free review of Castlevania Season 3, which is available to stream now on Netflix. The main section of the review only covers basic plot and character details, with more specific twists discussed in a spoiler-marked section at the end. If you need a refresher on the series, check out our Castlevania: Season 1 review and Castlevania: Season 2 review.
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Netflix’s Castlevania series is undoubtedly the finest video game adaptation ever made. Even so, it’s hard not to approach Season 3 with some degree of trepidation. Can a series that did so much to paint Dracula as a tragic, nuanced villain in its first two seasons maintain that level of quality now that Dracula has gone from undead to just plain dead? Castlevania fans needn’t worry. The series not only survives the loss of this critical character, it somehow manages to get even better in the process.
Dracula’s absence casts a wide shadow over the third season. Picking up a couple of months after the dramatic final battle at Castle Dracula, Season 3 sees all the surviving characters scattered to the wind and seeking new purpose. Alucard (James Callis) is now the lonely steward of his father’s abandoned castle. Trevor (Richard Armitage) and Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso Agueda) are enjoying the honeymoon phase of their budding romance as they become travelling monster hunters. The treacherous vampire queen Carmilla (Jaime Murray) returns home to Styria with her captive prize Hector (Theo James) in tow. And not to be outdone, Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack) begins his single-minded crusade to punish humanity for destroying his master.
Dracula may be gone, but Season 3 introduces a number of new characters to fill the void and take advantage of the longer 10-episode structure. Carmilla is joined by her three sisters – Lenore (Jessica Brown Findlay), Morana (Yasmine Al Massri) and Striga (Ivana Milicevic). Trevor and Sypha’s travels put them in the path of several key players like the worldly Saint Germain (Bill Nighy), a town official known only as The Judge (Jason Isaacs), and a creepy monk named Sala (Navid Negahban). Finally, Alucard’s solitude is interrupted by the appearance of two aspiring vampire hunters named Taka (Toru Uchikado) and Sumi (Rila Fukushima).
With the main cast divided along many fronts and so many new faces being introduced, Season 3 has a much looser and more organic feel than the past two seasons. Before, the end point was pretty clear, with all roads leading to that final battle with Dracula. Now the series faces a more uncertain future, and one ripe with potential. If these disparate threads are meant to eventually intertwine, that’s not really apparent in Season 3. Executive producer Adi Shankar, writer/co-showrunner Warren Ellis and co-showrunner Kevin Kolde are taking a very slow, steady approach to charting the series’ future. Season 3 plays like a transitional story bridging the Dracula conflict with another cataclysmic battle still in its early stages.
That might not sound like a terribly exciting pitch, but the fact is that Castlevania is often at its best when it moves slowly and allows its characters to breathe, converse and search for meaning. Having Ellis as the series’ sole writer continues to work in its favor. Ellis has a very distinctive voice marked by equal parts sarcastic, self-aware humor and burning tragedy. Ellis is able to paint the Castlevania universe as a nihilistic wonderland where magic and misery go hand-in-hand. In Castlevania’s vision of the 15th Century, Hell is a real and tangible place, while traces of the divine and holy are few and far between. Vanquishing the most powerful vampire the world has ever seen doesn’t necessarily bring peace to the land. Nor does it give our heroes happiness or fulfillment.
As in Season 2, the series devotes an incredible amount of attention to ensuring all characters – good or evil, major or minor – are fully realized people with clear desires and motivations. Perhaps no chapter better illustrates this than episode 6, which shifts focus away from the main trio of protagonists and onto Saint Germain and Isaac. Up to that point, the former is depicted as a debonair man of science, but here his soul is laid bare and the full scope of the Castlevania universe begins to reveal itself. As for Isaac, he may well be the most compelling player in the Season 3 mix, given his commitment to what he sees as a righteous crusade and his moral code, despite plotting the mass extinction of humanity. In episode 6, the series reveals that even the undead Night Creatures under his thrall have wants and desires, exploring how these unholy monsters retain shreds of the lives they once lived.
Again, these various story threads never really converge over the course of Season 3. There are hints of the larger war to come on the Carmilla front, but that can is kicked down the road to Season 4. Season 3 still manages to be cohesive and tonally consistent, however. Loneliness and the desire for connection are the central themes of the season. We see it in Trevor and Sypha’s fumbling efforts to find happiness together. We see it in Alucard’s rush to become a mentor to Sumi and Taka. We see it in the growing bond between Hector and Lenore, the one woman in Styria who shows compassion for Carmilla’s captive pet. Even with Isaac, his travels are less about building an army than exploring how he can’t seem to avoid connecting with his fellow humans despite his intense disdain for them. Season 3 may not always be heavy on plot, but it’s never boring.
The new season does share one key structural similarity with Season 2. Just as Season 2 paid off a long, slow buildup with a dramatic, action-packed battle with Dracula, Season 3 culminates in two final episodes that up the bloodshed and spectacle considerably. Even though the series remains divided along several fronts at that point, episode 9 creates unity through a montage of violent action and sexual release (sometimes both at once). This is where the show’s striking animation stands out the most. While it does become obvious when scenes switch between traditional 2D characters and the more fluid but less detailed CG models, the sheer scope of the action and the ingenuity in the monster designs and fight scenes are more than enough to make up for those weird transitions.
The series also continues to benefit from a talented cast of voice actors. Several returning faces are given the opportunity to push their characters in new directions. Callis succeeds in exploring a more vulnerable, lonely side of Alucard, while M’Cormack shines even more now that Isaac is a free agent in charge of his own destiny. The new additions in Season 3 further add to that appeal. Nighy is predictably excellent as the outwardly carefree but inwardly haunted Saint Germain. Isaacs is very entertaining as the tightly wound Judge. Findlay brings a welcome sense of ambiguity to the role of Lenore, a character whose true intentions remain shrouded in mystery until the very end of the season. Only Uchikado and Fukushima fall a little short of the mark. Their heavy accents leave little room for subtlety and make it difficult to parse their characters’ true motives and thoughts toward Alucard. Maybe that was the point, but it works against the Alucard storyline for much of the season.
Warning: the remainder of this review contains spoilers for Castlevania: Season 3!
Ultimately, even with the season remaining divided along several fronts and serving more as a preamble to Season 4 than a self-contained story, the final two episodes manage to wrap things up on a very satisfying note. The weird dynamic between Alucard and his pupils is justified in the ultimate payoff, as Sumi and Taka attempt to seduce and betray him to steal the secrets of Castle Dracula for themselves. These two characters aren’t as important as what they mean for Alucard himself. Seeing Alucard impale his two would-be murderers and openly acknowledge how much he’s become like his father is a haunting way of ending Season 3. It also suggests the series may diverge from the source material by angling Alucard to truly become Dracula’s successor rather than actually resurrecting Dracula.
Trevor and Sypha’s storyline also ends on a fittingly bleak note. While it could be argued that the two don’t grow or evolve much over the course of Season 3 (they’re still on the road and hunting monsters), the point is clearly to show how Sypha’s innate hope and optimism are strained by seeing the world through a Belmont’s eyes. They did their best to save a city besieged by unholy monks, and all they got, in the end, was scores of dead civilians and a Judge who turned out to be just as wicked as Sala and his men. All three main heroes are united by a growing sense of disillusionment with the world around them.
Finally, it’s worth touching a bit more on Saint Germain. Between Nighy’s performance and the humorous dynamic Germain shares with Trevor and Sypha, he’s probably the best addition to the mix in Season 3. His arc is also one of the strongest, as he evolves from self-interested book hunter to the key to stopping Dracula’s return in the finale. Germain also serves a valuable role as a foothold into a larger universe, helping move Castlevania beyond the realm of supernatural horror and into a more sci-fi-oriented direction. It’s impossible to watch Germain’s psychedelic odyssey in episode 6 and not wonder if this is the first step toward the Devil May Cry series and the “Bootleg Multiverse” Shankar has been teasing.
A new set of Fortnite Season 2 challenges is now live. This week’s batch is themed around TNTina, another character skin you can unlock through the Season 2 Battle Pass. In keeping with the character, most of the challenges involve explosives, but there’s one that asks you to visit 15 different landmarks. If you need help tracking those down, we’ve put together a map and guide showing you where to go.
Where Are The Landmark Locations?
There are a ton of landmarks scattered around the island, but the problem is they aren’t explicitly marked on the map, which may make them tricky to find. To help you along, we’ve marked the locations of 27 landmarks on the map below. This map isn’t comprehensive; there are more landmarks around the island beyond the ones we’ve listed, but these should be more than enough to help you complete the challenge.
Fortnite landmarks map
How To Complete The Challenge
As the challenge states, you simply need to visit 15 landmarks to complete this mission. These need to be different landmarks–you can’t simply return to the same ones in different matches–but that shouldn’t prove to be too difficult considering how many there are around the island.
While you’re hunting down landmarks, you can simultaneously make progress toward another Week 3 challenge that asks you to land at The Rig, Hydro 16, and Logjam Woodworks. The latter two are each located near a few other landmarks, so you can start the match off by landing at one of them before you track down some landmarks, killing two birds with one stone.
Season 2 of Fortnite Chapter 2 is currently slated to end in April, so there are still plenty of challenges on the way to the game. If you need help completing any previous missions, we’ve gathered together our maps and guides for the trickier ones 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 the battle royale game this season.
The PS4 has had an excellent generation, despite its slow start with must-play exclusive games. But while those big marquee exclusives trickled out slowly, the PS4 held on by delivering the best console versions of most third-party games. Now, the PS4 is knocking out multiple big exclusives every year, three of which will release in 2020–Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us Part II. Throughout the PS4’s lifespan, however, Sony’s DualShock 4 has been an incredible controller to experience all of the PS4’s games with–especially since all it takes is the push of a button to share incredible moments like a hilarious glitch or beating a Bloodborne boss without getting touched.
The DualShock 4 is a great pad, but looking at what Microsoft is doing with the controller options for Xbox One, it can feel a little disappointing not having an official PS4 Elite-style controller. Sony recently released a back-button accessory that maps two of the DualShock 4’s buttons and lets you keep your thumbs on the analog sticks when you want to crouch, jump, reload, or anything in between. However, it doesn’t bridge the gap completely, and if you’re looking for a little more from your DualShock 4 controller, there are plenty of great third-party PS4 controller options.
Scuf has a couple of great pads in the Infinity4PS Pro and the Vantage 2, both of which feature back paddles and a number of other excellent customizable parts–you can even replace the Infinity4PS Pro’s triggers with clicky, mouse-like buttons. Razer also has a pair of great controllers that feature extra buttons, multiple configuration profiles, and trigger stops. And those are just a few of the best PS4 controllers we have on this list.
There are also controller options that work really well with one type of game in mind. Fight pads and fight sticks are made for a very specific genre, and die-hard fighting game fans looking for the best experience would do well picking one of these up. Razer has an excellent fighting pad in the Raion and a great fight stick in the Panthera Evo, while Victrix hits the high-end with the incredible Arcade Pro FS stick. We’ve tested a number of great controllers, pads, and sticks and rounded up the very best PS4 controllers here.
Will PS4 controllers be compatible with PS5?
Unfortunately, unlike the Xbox One and Xbox Series X, we don’t know for sure if PS4 controllers will be forward-compatible with PlayStation 5. Sony is sure to release more information on PS5 in the coming months, so we’ll likely learn more about any PS4 controller compatibility soon.
Until then, we have cataloged what we believe to be the best PS4 controllers you can use on Sony’s current console. This article will be updated as we test more new pads. So while you wait until the PS5’s launch, read on for the best PS4 controllers you can buy right now. Please note that the prices below indicate each controller’s standard price and don’t represent any fluctuations or discounts.
Quick look: The best PS4 controllers to buy in 2020
Best overall PS4 controller
Scuf Vantage 2 | starts at $170
The Good:
Four excellently placed back paddles
Great D-pad
Trigger system makes it possible to swap out trigger shapes and activate trigger stops
Very comfortable grips and form factor
Off-set analog sticks feel smooth and accurate
Long battery life
The Bad:
Wireless version costs $30 more
The Vantage 2 is Scuf’s premium PS4 controller and an excellent choice for those who prefer the off-set analog sticks similar to those found on the Xbox One. It features four back paddles and two extra side buttons, all of which are programmable–I found the back paddles were useful for remapping the face buttons, while the side buttons were excellent for D-pad inputs in shooters, such as activating killstreaks or swapping the fire mode. You’re also able to swap out the thumbsticks, D-pad, and faceplate as well as remove the rumble motors, and like the Infinity4PS Pro, it’s possible to adjust the trigger stops or replace the trigger entirely with a longer one.
All of these bells and whistles are great to have, even if you don’t use them all at once. I found certain configurations were better for shooters, while fighting games benefited from replacing the D-pad with the included circle pad and shorter trigger pulls. You can use the Vantage 2 across a wide selection of games effectively–and on PC–which is awesome considering how great it feels to use the controller. The face buttons are rounded and are satisfying to push, the back paddles are aligned in extremely comfortable positions, and the D-Pad is one sturdy piece that makes going left-to-right and up-to-down much easier than the official DualShock 4–this can be especially effective in games like Mortal Kombat 11. It also has a much longer battery life than the DualShock 4, which is definitely appreciated.
All of this makes it my preferred pad when playing PS4 games. If you’re looking for an Elite-style controller on Sony’s platform, then you won’t be disappointed by the Vantage 2.
Best value
DualShock 4 | $60-65
The Good:
Improves on the classic DualShock form factor in almost every way
Great D-pad
Comfortable grips
Excellent triggers
Share button makes sharing in-game moments easy
The Bad:
Short battery life
The DualShock 4 is a fantastic pad that improves on the classic DualShock form factor in all the right ways. The grips feel great, the triggers are satisfying to pull, and the Share button makes it easy to save and share screenshots and videos of your best gaming moments. The one downside is the battery life can feel a little short, requiring you to charge it daily if you’re playing a game for long sessions. Despite that, however, the DualShock 4 works very well when it comes to playing every single game on the system.
Best modular PS4 controller
Astro C40 | $200
The Good:
Impressive build quality
Modular nature lets you swap the left analog stick with D-pad
Excellent ergonomics
Programmable back paddles are very comfortable to use
2.4GHz wireless connection provides great low-latency experience…
The Bad:
…but it does require the use of a wireless adapter dongle
Unable to power on PS4
No battery life indicator on PS4
Astro is well-known for its high-end gaming headsets and audio equipment, but the brand has recently ventured into professional-grade controllers with the C40 Tournament Edition. Not only is it ergonomically comfortable, but the C40 has a ton of customizable features. The most important thing to note is that the left analog stick can be swapped to feel like an Xbox or PlayStation controller. The modular nature of the design might make you doubt its build quality, but the C40 is unquestionably solid.
Another key feature is the programmable paddles on the back of the controller. Of all the high-end gamepads with extra buttons, the C40 has the most sensible placement, and these buttons are intuitive from the get-go. The ease of use extends to the triggers and bumpers; their shape and low actuation resistance is a definite upgrade over the DualShock 4. The Astro C40 is quite pricey at $200, but it’s all around the best if you’re looking for something that’s both tuned for competitive gaming and customization. | Michael Higham
Best triggers
Scuf Infinity4PS Pro | starts at $140
The Good:
Retains the DualShock 4 shape and button layout
Textured grip makes pad even more comfortable to hold
Customizable trigger system allows for very different experiences
EMR key makes remapping back paddles easy
The Bad:
Similar battery life to the DualShock 4
Only two back paddles
The Scuf Infinity4PS Pro is perfect for anyone who likes the DualShock 4’s shape and design but wants a little extra customization and utility. The Infinifty4PS Pro features textured grips, interchangeable thumbsticks, and programmable back paddles–the latter makes use of a magnetic “EMR” key that you simply place on the back of the controller and then press the buttons you wish to remap to the paddles. These delightful features are all par for the course for Scuf’s controllers, but it’s the different types of customizable triggers that make the Infinity4PS Pro so special. The basic triggers are similar to the standard DualShock 4’s, while the Trigger Control System offers trigger stops, adjustable hair triggers, and trigger covers and extenders. These, of course, come at an increased cost, but these features are beloved by fans of shooters.
Scuf also offers digital tap triggers. These turn the shoulder buttons and triggers into buttons that resemble a PC gaming mouse, clicking just like one as you take aim and fire at the enemy. It feels incredible and is extremely useful when using single-fire weapons like marksman rifles or pistols, though it worked great for automatic weapons as well. These triggers are some of the best I’ve ever used, but they’re specifically designed with shooters in mind and don’t feature any analog input like the standard trigger system. This makes them hard to use for games that rely on gradual trigger presses, like Gran Turismo Sport and Trials Rising, so it’s important to think about what type of games you play before purchasing this costly controller.
Best buttons
Razer Raiju Ultimate | £200
Only available in Europe
The Good:
Interchangeable D-pad and thumbsticks
Satisfying, clicky buttons
Curved triggers are comfortable to use and rest fingers on
Extra shoulder buttons are placed perfectly on top of controller
Easy remapping via Raiju app
Able to swap between remapped configurations on the fly
The Bad:
Square back paddles aren’t as comfortable as other controllers
Limited number of thumbsticks included
Razer has two options for Elite-style controllers, both of which aren’t as modular or customizable as the Scuf Vantage 2. Thankfully, they’re still both great pads. The Raiju Ultimate features the same analog stick placement as the DualShock 4 and boasts interchangeable thumbsticks and D-Pad. It’s also equipped with two remappable back paddles and an extra two shoulder buttons. The back paddles are larger and more square-like than Scuf’s paddles–this makes them less comfortable, but they’re still easy to use. The Raiju Ultimate’s extra shoulder buttons, on the other hand, are particularly great. They click satisfyingly like a gaming mouse and are easy to press with your fingers resting on the triggers. Speaking of the triggers, they feel similar to the Xbox One’s and feature trigger stops.
The face buttons also click like a mouse and are extremely pleasing to use in everything from shooters and fighting games to action-adventure titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Yakuza 0. The D-pad feels pretty good to use, though it is less like a D-pad and more like four separate buttons. One of the modular D-pads is actually just four directional buttons, while the other is one solid piece of plastic that makes it easier to hit diagonals in fighting games. And lastly, the analog sticks move smoothly and feel accurate.
Satisfying is a great way to describe using Razer’s Raiju Ultimate, and using the Raiju app for mobile devices makes remapping the extra buttons and creating new profiles extremely easy–you can even swap between profiles with a button on the controller. If you’re looking for an Elite-style controller with the same stick placement as the DualShock 4, then Razer’s Raiju Ultimate will work excellently in nearly every situation.
Razer Raiju Tournament Edition | £150
Only available in Europe
The Good:
Features all of the same paddles and buttons as Raiju Ultimate
Extra shoulder buttons are still excellent
Satisfying, clicky buttons
Easy remapping via Raiju app
Triggers are comfortable and feel great
The Bad:
Unable to swap between remapped configurations on the fly
Mostly plastic body feels cheap in comparison to the Raiju Ultimate
Square back paddles aren’t as comfortable as other controllers
The Raiju Tournament Edition is Razer’s cheaper–but less customizable–PS4 controller. It still features the back paddles and extra shoulder buttons, but it doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as the Raiju Ultimate. Its analog sticks are also off-set like the Xbox One’s controller, and while it does feel less premium than the Raiju Ultimate, it still manages to be a satisfying controller to use. The buttons feature the same mouse clicky-ness as the Ultimate, and while you can’t swap out the D-pad, it does feel more like a D-pad as opposed to buttons–it’s divided into four quadrants like the DualShock 4.
The triggers retain the same shape, and the trigger stops also return. The analog sticks, on the other hand, aren’t quite as smooth-feeling as the Ultimate’s, as they’re made of plastic as opposed to metal, but they still feel good. And thankfully, you can still remap the extra buttons with the Raiju app, though you won’t be able to swap profiles on the controller itself.
In short, the Raiju Tournament Edition may feel cheaper than the Ultimate, but it’s still a great controller, especially if you prefer the off-set analog stick placement.
Best PS4 fight pad
Razer Raion | $100
The Good:
Fantastic D-pad
Incredible buttons bridge the gap between controller and fight stick
Multiple switches add functionality for L3, R3, and both analog sticks
The Bad:
Only suitable for very specific types of games
The Razer Raion is a fight pad, which means it’s optimized for fighting games. If you’re looking for an excellent way to play fighting games without dropping a huge sum of money on a full stick, then the Raion is an excellent option. It features a great, clicky D-pad and buttons that resemble a fight stick as opposed to a regular controller. It’s also pretty light, so it’s comfortable holding it with one hand and tapping the buttons, piano-style. Thankfully, it also includes digital buttons for all of the DualShock 4’s shoulder buttons and triggers if you prefer using those.
With the Raion, you don’t need to switch to a fully-featured controller for things like character customization within your favorite fighting games. It features a switch that lets you map the D-pad to the left and right analog sticks, making it possible to do everything you need on the PS4. Of course, the lack of real analog sticks and triggers makes it nigh impossible to play most games on the console, but if you’re customizing a character or just viewing in-game models, then this switch makes it easy to do so–a separate switch also lets you turn the L1 and L2 buttons into L3 and R3.
If you’re in the market for a fight pad, then it’s hard to beat the Raion. It’s comfortable and performed well in every fighting game I played, from NetherRealm fighters like Mortal Kombat 11 and Injustice 2 to Capcom’s Street Fighter V and Bandai Namco’s Tekken 7. At half the price of Razer’s Panthera Evo fight stick, it’s a very attractive controller for fighting game fans.
Best PS4 fight stick
Victrix Pro FS Arcade fight stick | $350
The Good:
Incredible buttons and joystick make for the best fighting game experience
Very travel-friendly
Extra buttons cover everything you’ll possibly need in and out of fights
Sturdy, aluminum body feels as premium as the price tag
Easily opened for modding
The Bad:
Very expensive
The Victrix Pro FS arcade stick is expensive, but it lives up to its price tag. It’s a premium fight stick with a base made entirely of aluminum, making it feel like an absolute tank. Thankfully, the stick is also extremely comfortable to place on your lap and use in everything from Street Fighter V and Dragon Ball FighterZ to Tekken 7 and Soulcalibur 6. The Sanwa Denshi parts feel solid, with a stick that’s both accurate and satisfying in motion. It also feels sturdy, and unlike cheaper sticks, I wasn’t worried it would break while I was in the middle of some particularly desperate matches.
The buttons are among the best I’ve used on a fight stick. There’s a small, yet pleasing amount of throw between the beginning of the push to the end, with a satisfying click to accentuate each button press. The pleasing feel of the buttons made it much more enjoyable trying to learn new combos, and I found myself becoming more effective in Dragon Ball FighterZ as a result.
In addition to the crucial buttons every fight stick needs, the Pro FS features a row of buttons that are assigned to other functions. It features Options, Share, a button for changing the colored lighting, a button for audio, three programmable “Pro” buttons, and one that locks these buttons from being pressed accidentally during gameplay. The Pro buttons allow the player to program L3 and R3 to two of them, while the third is used for Training Mode–it resets the characters’ positioning in various supported games. You can also switch the joystick between the D-pad to the left and right analog stick by holding the Victrix logo button and the joystick in a specific direction–it’s not as easy as flipping a switch like what Razer’s sticks and pads offer, but it’s still a must-have feature. The stick is also very travel-friendly, featuring handles, a plastic organizer to wrap your cable around, and a removable joystick that you can easily store in the body of the stick.
The Pro FS is a premium stick at a premium price tag. If you’re not a hardcore fighting game player, then this stick isn’t for you. It costs as much as a console, which can deter some players, but if you’re looking for the best fighting experience on PS4 and are serious about competitive play, then this is the stick for you.
Best mid-range PS4 fight stick
Razer Panthera Evo | $200
The Good:
Plastic body feels sturdy and well-built
Plastic joystick is surprisingly great
Satisfying buttons
Includes a switch that gives you control of the D-pad and both analog sticks
Almost every button and function from the DualShock 4 is present here
The Bad:
Cable is not removable
Cable compartment feels a little cheap
If you’re looking to save a little money but still want an excellent fight stick, then the Razer Panthera Evo is worth considering. The stick is entirely made of plastic, which can feel a little hollow. Thankfully, it’s still solidly-built and feels comfortable. The buttons and stick are made by Sanwa, and both feel great. The plastic stick manages to hold up well; the buttons have a small throw and click satisfyingly as you knock out combos. The Xbox One’s Razer Atrox is a great fight stick, but it’s slightly outshined by the Panthera Evo when it comes to sheer playability.
The Panthera Evo is capable of controlling everything a regular DualShock 4 can. It features buttons for L3, R3, Options, and Share as well as muting your microphone and controlling your headset’s volume. It also comes equipped with its own touchpad and a switch that flips the joystick between D-Pad and the left and right analog sticks. However, unlike its Xbox One counterpart, the Panthera Evo’s cable is non-removable. You can wrap it up and store it in the stick’s compartment, though I shudder to think what would happen if it broke off somehow. Having to replace the entire stick when only the cable breaks is a frustrating–and expensive–headache that other sticks avoid by making the cable removable.
That said, the Razer Panthera Evo is still an excellent fight stick for the money. It’s very enjoyable to use for all types of fighting games, so if you’re looking for one of the best mid-range sticks, then the Panthero Evo is a great one to go with.
The PS4 has a ton of great third-party options when it comes to controllers, especially for fighting games. And some of them even get some pretty discounts. Amazon currently has a deal on the Hori Fighting Commander for PS4, PC, and PS3, and if you’re looking for an extremely affordable and solid option for fighting games, then this is a discount you absolutely need to take a look at.
The Hori Fighting Commander for PS4 is currently $25 (down from $40) and comes with free Prime shipping for members. Unfortunately, we don’t know how long this deal will last, so if you’re interested, you should pick it up as soon as you can. The Fighting Commander is a cheaper fight pad, but it’s still adored by many. It has a 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon with over 520 reviews.
Hori Fighting Commander for PS4, PC, and PS3
$25 ($40)
In addition to being an excellent pad for games like Dragon Ball FighterZ, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and even Mortal Kombat 11, it’s also got some key features that make using the Hori Fighting Commander a delight. The big one for me is the D-Pad/analog stick toggle, which lets you take control of the right stick, despite this pad not featuring one. This means you don’t need to pick up a separate controller for things like character customization or camera control in the few fighting games that offer it.
Of course, the Hori Fighting Commander can also work quite well with any game that primarily uses the D-pad for movement. This means games like Hollow Knight, Castle Crashers Remastered, and Castlevania Requiem are perfect for the stick-less pad.
If you’re looking for the best fight pad–or another great PS4 controller entirely–then check out our guide to the best PS4 controllers of 2020. We’ve tested a wide variety of PS4 controllers and selected the very best for you to choose from.
