2026

Dead by Daylight turned ten years old on June 14, 2026, and Behaviour Interactive marked it in a big way, with a huge party. The event took place at the Old Port of Montreal and included developer panels, an art expo, more cosplay than the venue probably planned for, and a broadcast stuffed with reveals. What’s amazing about that is the fact the game is still going. A lot of games will get a year’s worth of content and then the developers abandon the content aspect and focus on bug fixes and then it stays as is after that. Dead by Daylight is still going though. What started as a game with three killers and a limited number of things to do is still growing, while almost every horror game that tried to do what it does is dead and buried.

I have put a lot of hours into The Fog. Over 2000 hours on Steam the last time I looked. In that time I have watched the entire genre Dead by Daylight basically created turn into a graveyard. While games like Last Year, VHS, and Friday the 13th died, Dead by Daylight still stands holding the knife over the games that it has outlived.

A Decade Since the First Trial

When Dead by Daylight launched in 2016, the pitch sounded a little ridiculous on paper. Four survivors, one killer, one trial. The survivors sneak around a map repairing five generators to power the exit gates, and the killer stalks them, downs them, and hangs them on hooks to sacrifice them to The Entity, the god-like thing that feeds on all of it. That asymmetry was the whole trick. One side has power, the other side has numbers and information, and the tension lives in that gap.

The launch roster was small and would feel almost quaint now. The Trapper, The Wraith,  and The Hillbilly carried the early days. The Nurse launched a short time later and is still sitting near the top of competitive play a decade later because her teleporting power ignores the walls everyone else has to respect. None of that explains why the game survived, though. Plenty of games launch with a clever hook. The hook is not what kept the lights on.

The Asymmetrical Horror Graveyard

Look at what came after. Friday the 13th: The Game arrived in 2017 with a license people would have killed for and a genuine shot at the throne. Deathgarden was Behaviour’s own attempt to run a second asymmetrical horror game, and even they could not keep it alive. Last Year: The Nightmare came and went. Evil Dead: The Game launched to real excitement and then got delisted. VHS, Propnight, and a handful of others never made it past a flicker of attention.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game from 2023 is the closest thing to a survivor, and even that one has spent its life fighting an uphill battle for players. The pattern is brutal and consistent. Studios saw Dead by Daylight printing success and assumed the format was the magic. It was not. The format is easy to copy. The thing that actually matters is much harder, and it is the reason every one of those games faded while Behaviour kept building.

How Friday the 13th Killed Itself

The clearest example is the one with the best license. Friday the 13th: The Game should have been the game to beat. It had Jason Voorhees, Camp Crystal Lake, and Kane Hodder doing the motion capture. What it did not have, before long, was a future. A copyright dispute between original screenwriter Victor Miller and director Sean Cunningham froze all new content, and a horror game built on a live treadmill cannot survive standing still. The dedicated servers went dark, the game was pulled from sale, and the whole thing collapsed under a legal fight that had nothing to do with how it played. I wrote a full breakdown of that mess in why Jason Voorhees was kept out of Dead by Daylight for ten years, because the same fight reaches into this story too.

Contrast that with Dead by Daylight, which pushed out a new chapter roughly every three months for ten straight years. Friday the 13th got one set of content and then nothing. Behaviour built a machine designed to never stop feeding players, and when its biggest rival was forced to stop feeding entirely, the gap became a canyon. You can read the full slasher history on the Friday the 13th franchise page if you want the rest of that saga.

The Licensing Machine Nobody Could Match

The real moat was the crossovers. No other horror game has ever pulled off what Dead by Daylight did with licensing. Michael Myers showed up early, then Freddy Krueger, then Leatherface, and the floodgates stayed open. Pyramid Head walked in from Silent Hill. Nemesis and Albert Wesker arrived from Resident Evil. Pinhead, Sadako from Ringu, the Xenomorph from Alien, Chucky, and even Dracula from Castlevania all eventually shared the same roster. The Demogorgon brought in Stranger Things, and Leatherface gave the game a foothold in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre world too. They even have Nicolas Cage as himself in the game.

That breadth is the part rivals could never answer. A competitor might land one big license or be based on a license, like Evil Dead or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Behaviour assembled what amounts to a horror hall of fame under one roof, and once a player has their favorite icon in the game, leaving for a competitor means leaving that icon behind. The licensing became the lock-in. It is the single hardest thing to replicate, and nobody has come close.

Jason Finally Walks Into the Fog

Which brings me to the moment I did not think I would ever actually see. On June 16, 2026, two days after the anniversary, Jason Voorhees arrived in Dead by Daylight as Chapter 40, listed as The Slasher. His power, Omnipresent Evil, is built to make him feel as inescapable in a trial as he is on screen. With Jason in the roster, the game now holds Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Ghostface, Leatherface, and Jason all at once, the entire Mount Rushmore of slashers standing in one place.

Sit with the irony of that for a second. The licensing fight that buried Friday the 13th: The Game is a cousin of the same rights tangle that kept Jason locked out of Dead by Daylight for ten years. The game that out-survived its rival eventually outlasted the legal mess itself and then walked away with the very icon that was supposed to belong to the competition. Jason’s own game died waiting on lawyers. Jason ended up in the game that refused to die. There is no cleaner way to show why Dead by Daylight won the genre than that.

Year 11 and No Plans for a Sequel

The anniversary broadcast made it obvious Behaviour is not slowing down. Art the Clown from the Terrifier films is set to join as a licensed killer in November 2026. A full chapter based on The Casting of Frank Stone, the Supermassive narrative game from 2024, is coming in March 2027. There is a community-built chapter on the way, a long-requested mall map, and a complete visual and animation overhaul rolling out in phases starting in 2027. A Dead by Daylight movie is officially in development at Blumhouse with Thordur Palsson directing and a screenplay from Alexandre Aja and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, aiming for filming in 2027.

The most telling detail, though, was Behaviour confirming there are no plans for a Dead by Daylight 2. Instead of resetting and asking everyone to rebuild their collections from scratch, the team is committing to evolving the original for years to come. After watching so many rivals chase the format and fall, that decision reads less like caution and more like a studio that finally understands exactly what it built. Ten years in, Dead by Daylight is not the last asymmetrical horror game standing by luck. It is standing because it is the only one that ever figured out the part that actually mattered.

Over four decades, horror trends have come and gone, but Friday the 13th? It sticks around like Jason Voorhees in the woods. You can’t talk about slashers without this franchise. It launched in 1980, sparked 12 sequels, and turned a hockey mask into a symbol of pure dread. The original low-budget shocker changed everything, sudden kills, creative stabbings, that eerie camp setting. It didn’t just scare audiences, it rewrote the rules.

It’s not just nostalgia. There are new fans every year, especially now since the franchise is no longer stalled. Fortnite and Dead by Daylight’s Jason Voorhees characters have brought him to a brand new generation. With the upcoming Crystal Lake series, it’s only going to get bigger.

Friday the 13th and Slasher History

I still remember seeing one of the movies on TBS growing up. Then shortly after, for the next few weeks, I rented the rest of the series, starting with the very first one. That film, released in 1980, kicked off a legacy that’s now 12 movies deep. The series is a fundamental part of the slasher genre’s historical evolution, shaping how we think about masked killers, summer camp kills, and final girls.

The golden age of slashers

You couldn’t escape slashers in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Halloween lit the fuse in 1978, and by 1980, Friday the 13th poured gasoline on the fire. It arrived right in the middle of the genre’s explosion, giving audiences something raw and relentless. Jason Voorhees, though not the killer in the first film, became its most enduring face, defining an era where body counts rose and sequels multiplied fast.

How it set the standard

One kill at a time, the franchise built a blueprint. Before Friday the 13th, slashers were moody and sparse, Halloween relied on tension. Friday the 13th was all about creative deaths, POV shots from the killer’s eyes, and a mounting body count. The original didn’t even have Jason as the killer, his mother, Pamela Voorhees, was the murderer, yet it established the rhythm: teens break rules, camera stalks them, and then sudden, brutal death.

What really sticks is how it turned formula into art. The camera work, especially those early point-of-view sequences made you feel like the killer long before you saw his face. That $550,000 budget turning into $59 million worldwide? That kind of return got studios paying attention. It proved you didn’t need A-list stars or fancy effects, though Tom Savini’s practical effects work set a new standard for on-screen gore. You could do a lot with a camera,  a sharp blade, and a summer camp. The series is a fundamental part of the slasher genre’s historical evolution, not because it was first, but because it perfected the pulse of the genre, fast, loud, and unapologetically gory.

The franchise is also known for something else, something that can send chills down your spine. While Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger have special musical numbers that define their franchise, Jason has something else. “Ki ki ki ma ma ma” is synonymous with the franchise. Anyone who hears that phrase instantly knows you’re talking about Friday the 13th. Harry Manfredini used his own voice and layered over the phrase “kill her mommy” and it became one of the most recognizable sounds in horror.

The Friday the 13th Cultural Legacy

Friday the 13th remains a horror icon because it defined the slasher era. Jason Voorhees is not just a villain, he built a cultural footprint that continues to grow across generations. The franchise’s imagery, mythology, and influence are so deeply embedded in horror history that it’s impossible to imagine the genre without it. Without Friday the 13th, you wouldn’t have other classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street. The 1980s slasher boom that Friday the 13th started is the only reason that movie and movies like it got made. Without that boom we wouldn’t have Scream or Scary Movie, the whole current pop culture landscape would be completely different. It’s all thanks to a drowning boy in a lake and his mother that went after horny camp counselors. Friday the 13th didn’t just start a franchise. It started a genre conversation that horror has never stopped having.

The Friday the 13th franchise has been scaring audiences since the original film hit theaters on May 9, 1980. It was one of the first horror movies I’d ever seen. I was young, but I am pretty sure it was either the third or the fifth movie that I watched first. Over the decades, the series has expanded to include eleven films, a crossover, and a reboot, generating almost $500 million at the box office. Jason Voorhees remains the constant presence throughout, either as the killer or as the motivation behind the terror. If you are looking to watch the movies in the best possible order, understanding the differences between release order and the timeline is key.

The series is famous for its contradictions and timeline quirks. Fans have long debated exactly when each film takes place, and the official chronology is not always consistent. This guide lays out the release order alongside the known in-universe timeline, using the most reliable details from the films and fan resources.

Release Order

Watching the movies in the order they came out is the simplest approach. This sequence preserves the original experience and shows how the franchise evolved over time. Here are the release dates for the main series:

The 2009 film is a standalone reboot and does not connect directly to any of the earlier sequels. It takes elements from the first few movies and condenses them into a single movie. For a first-time viewer, this release order is the most straightforward way to experience the series as it was originally presented to audiences.

In-Universe Chronology

Figuring out the chronological order of events inside the Friday the 13th universe is trickier. The story does not follow a clean timeline. The original film is set on a Friday the 13th in 1979. According to the Fandom timeline, that date is most likely Friday, July 13, 1979. The first sequel, Part 2, takes place five years later, which would place it in 1984.

This already creates a mismatch with the release years. The original movie came out in 1980, but its story happens a year earlier. Part 2 was released in 1981 but is set in 1984, three years after its release. These contradictions make it impossible to build a perfectly consistent timeline.

The Final Chapter suggests the original murders occurred on Friday, June 13, 1979, but historical calendars show that June 13, 1979, was a Wednesday. The Fandom timeline instead points to Friday, July 13, 1979, as the most plausible date for the events of the first film. To make things even more confusing, Jason was supposed to be born on Friday June 13, 1946. That date is really a Thursday.

*Jason X starts shortly after Freddy vs. Jason, but the majority of the movie is set in 2455, after an accident leaves Jason cryogenically frozen for centuries..

Films That Definitely Take Place on a Friday the 13th

Several movies in the series make a point of being set on the unlucky date. According to the Fandom wiki, the original film, Jason Lives, The New Blood, and the 2009 reboot all take place on a Friday the 13th. These entries wear the date as part of their identity, while other films in the series are less specific about the exact day.

For fans trying to assemble a watchlist tied to the actual calendar, these four films provide the clearest anchor points. The rest of the series is more loosely connected to the superstition, though Jason Voorhees never seems to need a specific date to start his rampage.

Key Contradictions in the Timeline

The Friday the 13th franchise is known for its internal inconsistencies. The original film is set in 1979, but Part 2 picks up five years later in 1984. That would mean the events of the first film happened before its actual release, while the sequel takes place after its release year. Later films like Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X push the story further into the future, but they do not always align neatly with earlier entries.

Another contradiction involves the date of the original camp murders. The Final Chapter uses a title card stating June 13, 1979, but that date was a Wednesday, not a Friday. The Fandom timeline corrects this to July 13, 1979, which was indeed a Friday. These small errors add up and make a definitive in-universe chronology difficult to pin down.

Because the series prioritizes scares over continuity, inconsistencies happen and the dates don’t always line up. The franchise was not built with a grand timeline in mind, and each film was made to stand on its own as a horror movie.

Even More Confusion

The movies’ timeline is already confusing, but it’s about to get even worse. A Crystal Lake TV show is debuting in October, which takes place before the first movie. In 2025 Jason had a special promotion with Angry Orchard. This promotion is canon in the new universe made by Horror Inc. These just make the timeline even messier, especially considering that the new Horror Inc can’t use certain movies in their new universe.

Recommended Viewing Order

For newcomers, watching the films in release order is the best option. This approach lets you see how the series evolved, from the simple slasher formula of the 1980 original to the sci-fi turn of Jason X and the crossover Freddy vs. Jason. The release order also preserves the evolving mythology around Jason Voorhees, including his first appearance in Part 2 and his transformation into an undead force in Jason Lives.

If you are more interested in the story as it plays out in the fictional timeline, you can try the chronological order, which is pretty similar, starting with the 1980 film set in 1979, then moving to Part 2 set five years later, and following the sequels in their release sequence after that. Just keep in mind that the in-universe timeline is not officially endorsed and contains gaps.

Both watching orders have their merits. Release order is clean and simple, but chronological order is a fun experiment for fans who want to piece together the series lore, even with its inconsistencies.

Even years after its last movie, Friday the 13th has remained extremely popular. With more content for the franchise coming, it’s sure to only become even more popular.

Jason Voorhees is finally coming to Dead by Daylight. After ten years of waiting, the time has arrived. On June 16, the horror icon is finally entering the Fog. Jason Voorhees is just as recognizable as Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, so the question is why hasn’t he been in the game before now? The short answer? He legally couldn’t.

The Lawsuit That Froze a Franchise

No single person or company owns the complete rights to Friday the 13th. The franchise is split across three separate parties, each holding a different piece, and for years none of them could agree on how to use what they had. A screenwriter, a director, a production company, a streaming giant, and two of the biggest studios in Hollywood all own a piece of the property and none of them were able to come to an agreement on how to use it. That’s the reason why the Friday the 13th game had to be shut down. It’s why there hasn’t been a movie since 2009.

Victor Miller and the Original Screenplay

Victor Miller wrote the screenplay for the original 1980 film. He created Camp Crystal Lake, Mrs. Voorhees as the killer, and the child Jason who surfaces at the end. He was hired by director and producer Sean Cunningham through a company called Manny Company, and for nearly four decades he had no claim to any of it.

That changed because of a provision in U.S. copyright law called termination rights. Congress built this into the Copyright Act specifically to protect writers and artists who signed away valuable work early in their careers for very little money. After 35 years, an author can serve notice and reclaim their copyright, provided they were not an employee at the time of creation. The key word there is employee. If the work was created as “work for hire,” the termination right does not apply.

Cunningham’s side argued Miller was an employee. Miller argued he was an independent contractor. In 2018 a district court sided with Miller, and in 2021 the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Miller was an independent contractor, the screenplay was not work for hire, and he had the legal right to reclaim the U.S. copyright to the original film.

What that actually gives him is narrower than it sounds. Miller owns the U.S. copyright to the first film only, which means he controls the original story, the original characters as they appeared in that film, and the Camp Crystal Lake setting. He does not own adult Jason Voorhees. He does not own the hockey mask. He does not own anything introduced in Part 2 or beyond. And his rights only apply in the United States. Internationally, the picture is different.

Horror Inc. and Everything Jason Actually Is

Horror Inc., now run by Robert Barsamian, is the successor to Cunningham’s original production entity. After losing the lawsuit over the first film’s screenplay, Horror Inc. still controls the rest of the franchise, which is most of what people think of when they think of Friday the 13th and Jason Voorhees.

Adult Jason, the hockey mask, Tommy Jarvis, every kill from Part 2 through Jason X, and all the visual iconography built up across a dozen sequels, that all belongs to Horror Inc. They also control the rights to the original film outside the United States, which means even within the first movie, the international picture is split from the domestic one.

Sean Cunningham himself is a complicated figure in all of this. He is the director and producer who built the franchise, the man who hired Miller, and the losing party in the lawsuit. He has described his current role as more of a cheerleader than an active rights holder, though he has said he expects to serve as an executive producer if a new film gets made. The practical control of Horror Inc. rests with Barsamian at this point, not Cunningham.

Warner Bros. Owns the Name Itself

Here is where it gets genuinely absurd. Even if Miller and Horror Inc. sorted out every disagreement between themselves tomorrow, neither of them could put “Friday the 13th” on a new film or piece of merchandise without going through Warner Bros. New Line Cinema, which is a Warner Bros. subsidiary, holds the trademark to the Friday the 13th title for films and merchandise.

Paramount Pictures adds another layer by retaining distribution rights to the first eight films through Jason Takes Manhattan. So you have the screenplay rights, the character rights, the title trademark, and the distribution rights all sitting with different parties. Every attempt to make something new required getting all of these people in a room and agreeing, and for over a decade that was simply not happening.

Jason Universe and Why They Stopped Using the Name

The joint venture called Jason Universe is the current attempt to move past all of this. Miller and Barsamian’s Horror Inc. came together under that label to develop new content, combining their respective pieces of the IP into something they could actually work with. Cunningham has confirmed publicly that his issues with Miller are resolved and that he considers himself part of the collaboration.

The reason everything is now branded “Jason Universe” instead of “Friday the 13th” is not a creative choice. It is a legal one. Warner Bros. still owns the Friday the 13th trademark, so the Jason Universe label sidesteps that entirely by centering the brand on the character rather than the film title. It is the kind of workaround that makes complete sense once you know the situation and sounds completely baffling if you do not.

There is also some cautious optimism on the studio side. Cunningham has noted publicly that the potential merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount could actually help, because it would bring the title trademark and the early film distribution rights under one roof, removing at least one layer of the negotiation problem.

Crystal Lake, Sweet Revenge, and What Comes Next

In 2025 Horror, Inc teamed up with Angry Orchard to put out a 20 minute ad featuring the brand starring Jason Voorhees. It was our first look at Jason in this new universe. It also introduced an interesting twist with Crystal Lake when it created another monster. Where this goes and how it ties into future content is unknown, especially considering the next content is a prequel.

Crystal Lake, a TV series in development at A24 for Peacock. The show debuts in October 2026 and will feature Pamela Voorhees before the first film. Linda Cardellini stars as Pamela and Callum Vinson as a young Jason Voorhees. There are rumors of an adult Jason being incorporated in the show somehow.

I have been waiting for new Jason movie for years. A Friday the 13th movie is probably the first horror movie I ever saw. With everything seemingly being sorted out, we should have a new one soon and hopefully we won’t have to wait another 16 years between movies.

The Xbox and PC Game Showcases were today. While they weren’t as good as some of the ones in the past, they were still pretty good. Gears of War: E-Day, Halo Campaign Evolved, and the Doom: The Dark Ages DLC got release dates. A new Spyro game was announced, Clockwork Revolution got a release window, and a transparent 25th anniversary Xbox Series X was shown. I am more surprised with what wasn’t shown, if I am being honest. There was no mention of a new Elite Controller, any update on their new backward compatibility features, or a Fallout 3 Remake. What was shown has me excited for what’s coming though.

Gears of War: E-Day

I was already excited for this game. This new trailer and release date just added to my excitement. Four player co-op from the start of the game, new guns, and great looking graphics.

Halo Campaign Evolved

This game is being built from the ground up using Unreal Engine. It’s not just a remake of the original Halo Combat Evolved, it’s a new experience. There are three new never before seen levels that take place before the original campaign.

Metro 2039

I just finished the original three Metro games. Artyom’s story may be done (I did kill him in 2 out of 3 games), but that doesn’t mean the series is over. In the last game we found out that Moscow isn’t the only place that survived and this game looks like it takes place after all of Moscow learns the truth.

Fable

Hayley Atwell in Fable? That is just perfect casting. I was already excited to play another hero of Albion, but with her being in the cast now, I am looking forward to the game even more now. I have always loved the humor in the series and this looks like it is going to be on par with the previous games.

Clockwork Revolution

This game reminds me so much of Bioshock Infinite, but it’s not part of that series at all. Steampunk and time travel? Count me in, I can’t wait to change time in this game.

Spyro: A Realm Beyond

I played the full Spyro series in 2025. This new game looks like it’s going to be bright and just as fun as the other games.

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations

DOOM: The Dark Ages came out in 2025 and the DLC has not been released yet. The DLC for Doom Eternal came in two parts and was pretty long. This looks like it’s going to be a full story experience that expands the story of the base game.

Return to Xbox

Asha Sharma said that they’d be getting back to Xbox and she announced that Gears of War: E-Day would be a console exclusive to Xbox Series X/S. It looks like she is making good on that promise.

The Last of Us is something pretty special. In the game you play as Joel who experiences a deep loss right at the start of the game. That loss affects the rest of his life. The game is known for its deep story, emotional character development, and immersive gameplay. It hit me right in the feels. That kind of game is hard to come by, but others do occasionally hit the same marks, here are some story-driven video games you might also like:

God of War (Reboot series)

Earlier God of War games had you focus on beating up and killing gods and their worshipers. The newer God of War games are different. This series offers a strong narrative focus, character-driven storytelling, and high production quality. Although it features a semi-open world, the emotional depth and relationship dynamics are comparable to The Last of Us.

Red Dead Redemption 2

I played the first one and while I thought it was a good game, Red Dead Redemption 2 was completely different. With rich storytelling, character development, and immersive world, RDR2 delivers a narrative experience that many fans of The Last of Us appreciate. It combines an open-world adventure with a compelling story and excellent voice acting. I wasn’t expecting to get so attached to a digital horse, but Red Dead Redemption 2 had me emotionally invested in one.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

The world is collapsing around you and it’s up to you to take care of your little brother. While it’s shorter and not open world like the previous games on the list, this game made me feel emotionally connected to the brother while making my way through France to avoid the Plague.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

This is another shorter game, but it’s a powerful story about sibling connection that is told through gameplay mechanics rather than cutscenes. Together the brothers have to solve puzzles in order to help save their dying father. I thought some of the game play was confusing at times, since each brother was controlled by the different thumbsticks on the controller.

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Telltale game is a unique game on this list. It was released episodically, but the first season has you playing as Lee as he is thrown into a protector role of a child he just met, Clementine. Together they go off on an adventure to find her parents during the zombie apocalypse. Your choices matter and one single choice could mean an entirely different ending.

These games are pretty different when it comes to gameplay. What connects them is the emotional depth and connection that I felt with the characters and the impact it had. If you’re looking for something with a deep story and emotional connection then I would recommend any one of these.

Summer Game Fest showcase was today and just like Sony’s showcase, it opened and closed the show with games I genuinely want to play. Unlike Sony, however there were games between them that I am excited about.

Resident Evil Veronica

Resident Evil Code Veronica is my favorite Resident Evil game. Resident Evil Veronica is a remake of that game. In the game, Claire is looking for her brother, Chris. Along the way, Claire meets Steve, one of the most annoying characters in the franchise. Hopefully Steve isn’t as annoying as he was initially in the new game.

Alien: Isolation 2

The first game scared the crap out of me. I’ve only recently become an Alien fan, but a new game has me excited. The concept of the alien attacking an unsuspecting space colony is really interesting. I don’t imagine civilians having much use for flamethrowers beforehand, if they had no idea Xenomorphs exist.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Last Ronin

My knowledge of TMNT is limited to the cartoons, games, and the movies. I don’t believe any of them dealt with The Last Ronin, so I know nothing about the story. I do still love the franchise though, so I can’t wait to check it out.

Dead by Daylight

I have been playing Dead by Daylight every now and then since its release in 2016. While it’s become boring just doing generators over the years, new killers can make the game feel a little different at least. A few weeks ago Jason Vorhees was announced as the next killer. The ten year event has promised more surprises than a killer reveal.

Control: Resonant

This was shown at the Sony showcase and I wasn’t that interested in it at the time. Since then it was announced to be a Play Anywhere title, that combined with the trailer from today has me pretty hyped up for this game. I enjoyed the first one, I will probably check out Alan Wake Remake and Alan Wake 2 before playing Resonant though. One of the DLCs for Control was AWE that confirmed Alan Wake and Control share a universe, when Alan Wake appeared in Control.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer

I’m not a fan of racing games, but I did love the Burnout series. Some of the developers from Burnout went onto the team making this game and you can tell. This game looks like Burnout meets Star Wars. What that creates is a fun looking game.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation

I loved the original Final Fantasy VII. I haven’t played the remake series yet, but part of me didn’t want to wait years between parts. I already own the first part of the series, I preordered it on Xbox when it was announced. Now that the third game is coming out, I might have to sit down and play the series.

This year’s showcases have been pretty decent so far. There are still a bunch tomorrow and then Xbox and PC Game Show on Sunday, but right now, I have been pretty happy with what’s been shown so far.

Resident Evil 3 is special to me. It’s unfortunate that it’s so short. I was hoping that they would have expanded the story a bit with the remake. Even though it’s so short, there’s still a lot that you can unlock, if you have the right combinations anyway. Use this guide to unlock weapon upgrades and some ammo.

Downtown Safe: Drugstore Owner

Head to the catwalk near the Donut Shop to find the room where the Drugstore Owner met his end, right next to his locked safe. His journal hints that the code is somewhere in the nearby Pharmacy. The combination is Left 9, Right 1, Left 8. On a second playthrough the code changes to Left 9, Right 3, Left 7.

Police Station Safe: West Office

While playing as Carlos in the Police Station, the West Office has a safe on the first floor. The code is written on the Internal Memo inside the Darkroom. The combination is Left 9, Right 15, Left 7. The reward is a hip pouch, which is worth grabbing early.

Police Station Locker: Shower Room (Second Floor)

The combination for the Shower Room locker on the second floor is found on a whiteboard in the Operations Room on the first floor. The code is CAP. The reward is a flash grenade.

Police Station Locker: Third Floor Hallway

The last locker in the Police Station is in the Third Floor Hallway. The code is in the Safety Deposit Room on the first floor, written on a picture taped to a whiteboard. The code is DCM. Opening it gets you assault rifle ammo.

Hospital Safe: Nurses Station (Second Floor)

The Nurses Station safe requires the Hospital ID Card to access the Operation Room on the first floor first. Inside on the RE: Lost Items note is the combination. The code is 9 clockwise, 3 counterclockwise. This one has to be opened while playing as Carlos since Jill will find it already empty.

Chains and Yellow Locks

Everything else locked in Resident Evil 3 uses either a chain or a yellow lock. Chains require the Bolt Cutters found in the Downtown Garage. Yellow locks require the Lock Pick from the Subway Power Station.

Now that you have some upgrades in Resident Evil 3 by opening each locker and safe, you should be better prepared to make your way through Raccoon City.

DC has had a complicated relationship with television. For every show that nailed the tone and kept people watching for years, there’s another that lost the plot by season two or never found its footing at all. I used to think that Marvel movies were great, but their shows weren’t and DC shows were amazing, but their movies were lackluster, but things have changed. Now both are thriving in movies and television. Having watched a significant chunk of the DC television catalog, here is how the best ones stack up.

10. The Flash

The early seasons of The Flash captured something genuinely fun and optimistic that most superhero shows struggle to maintain. Barry Allen’s earnestness worked, the villains were memorable, and the show managed to balance humor with stakes in a way the Arrowverse rarely managed consistently. Unfortunately after the show got to a point where the best episodes were the crossover ones.

9. Smallville

A Superman show without Superman. On paper it sounds preposterous, but somehow it worked. Smallville ran for ten seasons and followed Clark Kent long before he became Superman, grounding the mythology in a small town setting that gave the show a distinct identity. It was uneven across its run but at its best it told genuinely compelling stories about what it means to carry that kind of responsibility before you are ready for it.

8. Gotham

Gotham had no business working as well as it did. Like Smallville, it was a show about a time before the main character existed. A prequel series following a young Jim Gordon in a city full of proto-villains sounds like a bad idea on paper, but the show leaned into its own absurdity and committed to a tone that was equal parts noir and chaos. Robin Lord Taylor’s Penguin alone made it worth watching.

7. Arrow

Arrow started strong and launched an entire television universe. The first two seasons are legitimately excellent, with a grounded take on Oliver Queen that felt fresh at the time. The show lost its way eventually, but somehow throughout its run, always managed to bounce back, with its eighth season being one of the best and setting up one of the most ambitious crossovers in television history: Crisis on Infinite Earths.

6. Lucifer

Lucifer took a premise that could have been a generic procedural and elevated it through Tom Ellis’s performance and a surprising willingness to engage with questions of free will, guilt, and redemption. The show found its audience on Netflix after Fox cancelled it and ran for six seasons, which is about as strong an endorsement as a cancelled show can get. Even though the show never felt like a comic book show, they still managed to tie it into the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover with Ellis reprising his role as the loveable devil.

5. Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow ran for seven seasons on The CW and started as a relatively straightforward time travel ensemble before evolving into one of the most genuinely strange and committed comedies on television. By its later seasons the show had fully embraced absurdist storytelling, musical episodes, and plotlines involving a giant stuffed Beebo becoming a god, and it worked because the cast never blinked. It deserved a proper ending instead of the cliffhanger cancellation it got.

4. Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series had a lot of firsts. It had a willingness to tell genuinely dark stories within a format aimed at younger audiences, it was the first show in the DC Animated Universe, and it was the first time that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill starred as Batman and the Joker. Their performances were so good that the two became synonymous with the roles, taking them to new universes.

3. Peacemaker

James Gunn’s Peacemaker series took a character who had no business carrying a show and made it work entirely on the strength of John Cena’s performance and the writing. The show jumped from DCEU to DCU between seasons 1 and 2, but it proves that James Gunn is willing to put a PG character like Superman into a world where John Cena is smoking weed and having orgies. It is irreverent, ridiculous, and unexpectedly emotional.

2. Harley Quinn

The animated Harley Quinn series is one of the most underrated DC properties in any medium. It is genuinely funny, surprisingly sharp in its character work, and does more interesting things with Harley, Ivy, and the broader DC villain roster than most live action attempts have managed. The fact that it does not get more attention is baffling.

1. Batman Beyond

Batman Beyond took everything that made Batman: The Animated Series great and pushed it into a cyberpunk future that felt genuinely fresh. Terry McGinnis is a compelling protagonist in his own right, and the dynamic between him and an older, retired Bruce Wayne gave the show an emotional core that most superhero series never find. It remains one of the best things DC has ever put on television in any format.

Where Does This Leave the Rest?

Titans started strong and faded. Birds of Prey was better than its reputation suggests. The 1960s Batman and Robin was campy and fun. DC television has always been uneven, but when it works, it produces some of the best superhero content in any format. Television gives characters time to expand and makes them complex in ways that movies can’t in a two hour time frame and that is where these characters shine.

On June 2, in association with Summer Game Fest, there was 2 video game showcases. The first one was Black Voices in Gaming at 3PM and then a Sony State of Play at 5PM. There were a few games that stuck out to me today, not many, but a couple that has me excited to play them. Not all of them was announced today, but they were shown.

Toy Story 3: Complete Edition

The first one I am excited about were announced today, but it wasn’t announced at either showcase today. Toy Story 3: Complete Edition, announced alongside Toy Story Retro Collection, has me excited. I have always loved the Toy Story movies, especially the aliens. Even today, when they start worshiping the claw, it gets me giggling.

Carrier Cuties

Carrier Cuties was shown at the Black Voices in Gaming showcase. AI wipes out all of humanity, but the pets still remain. So what do they do? They build mechs and fight each other. It sounds ridiculous and it looks ridiculous, but aren’t those the games worth playing the most?

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is coming February 12, 2027. The game is a remake of the original Tomb Raider game. I started my Tomb Raider journey with the second one and I never played the first game. I did pick up Tomb Raider I–III Remastered a few years ago, but haven’t gotten a chance to play it yet.

Marvel Wolverine

Wolverine is brutal, bloody, and amazing. The game releases on September 15, with preorders starting today. It’s a Playstation 5 exclusive, so it gives me an excuse to finally dust off my PS5. I don’t think I’ve touched it since playing Marvel Spider-Man 2. Today we saw just how brutal the game is going to be. In this world, the X-Men don’t exist and most of the world doesn’t know that mutants exist. We saw Jean, Sabretooth, and more. This will probably be a day 1 buy for me.

God of War Laufey

Usually when a game is announced, it’s just a trailer and sometimes it’s just a teaser. Today God of War Laufey was not only announced, but we got 20 minutes of game play. There is no release date for the game, but with how good this game looks, I could see it releasing sometime in 2027. The game is not a prequel like you would expect, it starts at Laufey’s funeral, the one we saw in God of War. Other series would have the funeral be the end of the journey, but for God of War Laufey, her death is just the beginning.

I love games, unfortunately they can be expensive. Just 10 new games could cost $700 and sometimes I play 10 games a month. That’s why gaming subscription services work best for me. They mean more fun for less money. Here are the top video game subscription services that I use for some of the best games.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

This has been called the best overall video game subscription service. For $22.99 per month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to hundreds of games on Xbox consoles, PC, and even mobile devices via cloud streaming. One of its standout features is day-one access to all new Xbox Game Studios releases, including exclusive titles like Halo, Gears of War, and Forza Horizon. It also includes EA Play and Ubisoft+ Classics, adding a bunch of games from EA and Ubisoft. I first subscribed when they announced day 1 Xbox games would be joining the service, years ago and haven’t let my membership lapse once.

PlayStation Plus (Extra and Premium tiers)

PlayStation Plus has evolved beyond just online multiplayer access. For $16.99 to $19.99 per month, the Extra and Premium tiers offer a large downloadable library of PS4 and PS5 games, including exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Returnal, and most of the God of War series. The Premium tier adds cloud streaming and access to classic games from previous PlayStation generations. It’s a great option for PlayStation users who want to experience Sony’s lineup of exclusive titles, but don’t want to necessarily commit to buying a game you’re only going to play once.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

Nintendo’s subscription service is best for fans of Nintendo exclusives such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Animal Crossing. The basic service is on the cheaper side at $3.99/month or $19.99/year, but the Expansion Pack at $49.99/year adds access to a collection of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, along with DLC for popular games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s great if you love Nintendo’s games.

EA Play

Included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and available separately, EA Play focuses on Electronic Arts’ titles, including EA Sports FC, Battlefield, The Sims, and Mass Effect. It offers early access trials and a rotating catalog of EA games, some of which are exclusive or first on their platforms.

Ubisoft+

Ubisoft+ is a bit different than the others. Ubisoft+ Classics is included with both Playstation Plus and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, however the standalone premium Ubisoft+ includes Ubisoft games and their DLCs. That means you get to play Watch Dogs and all the DLC without needing to buy it separately.

I usually have a few of these services so finding games to play isn’t the problem, it’s deciding what I actually want to play that is.

Is a Fallout 3 remaster going to be announced soon? In 2020, Bethesda had plans for a remaster of the 2008 game. In September 2023 during Microsoft’s courtroom fight to buy Activision Blizzard, documents showed that Bethesda planned on releasing the game in 2024. Bethesda and ZeniMax have not mentioned a remaster or even acknowledged the leak.

Why Would Fallout 3 Remaster Be Announced Soon?

In March 2026, a product listing for the toy and figurine retailer McFarlane Toys included a 7-inch T-45b Nuka Cola figurine associated with Fallout 3 Remastered. The image for the listing was a placeholder image. On June 7, 2026, at 1PM Eastern, XBOX will be doing their summer showcase, the biggest XBOX showcase of the year. 2026 is also the 25th anniversary of XBOX. If a Fallout 3 Remaster is going to be revealed, then it will more than likely be revealed there.

XBOX Summer Showcase 2026

XBOX already has a busy year filled with releases, Gears of War: E-Day, Call of Duty, and Halo Campaign Evolved are all still coming this year. Fable was delayed until 2027, but that is more than likely because November is going to be dominated by Grand Theft Auto 6. Not even XBOX would want to compete against that powerhouse. If a Fallout 3 remaster is announced, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a 2027 release, maybe even around the time of season 3 of the Fallout TV show.