DOOM is one of the most iconic and long-running first-person shooter franchises of all time. The brainchild of iconic FPS developer id Software, DOOM took the essence of id’s previous franchise, Wolfenstein, and pushed it even further, serving as one of the most important titles in gaming history. Not only did this lead to a massive, lucrative franchise, but the series has continued to grow and enthrall audiences with successive titles.

Incredibly, the franchise is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary this December. It’s amazing to see it’s lasted this long and, through all the ups and downs, remained one of gaming’s most venerable shooter franchises. Let’s take a look at DOOM’s biggest titles and rank them from worst to best.

2023 has been a phenomenal year for video games. It feels like exciting releases have been aplenty this year, with fantastic new games at almost every corner. Thanks to titles like the Resident Evil 4 Remake, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, gamers have been treated like royalty across the first six months of the year.

But would you believe it if you were told that a year like 2023 could get even bigger? The second half of the year feels just as loaded (if not even more so) than what the first half offered up, and there’s gonna be plenty to put your money toward as we approach the Holiday season. Here are 12 upcoming games that we’re heavily anticipating across the rest of 2023.

The Password Game offers a new way to smash your keyboard, as the game tasks you with creating a password under a variety of specific rules. Some of these rules are extremely chaotic and will force you to constantly revise your password to fit the constraints. By the time you get to Rule 14, you may feel the urge to throw your computer because the password will seem impossible to revise. Here’s how to beat Rule 14 in The Password Game.

Rule 14 in The Password Game

For context, Rule 14 in The Password Game will show you a Google Maps location and remind you “Your password must include the name of this country.” This is a difficult feat if you’re not knowledgeable in Geography (this writer in particular feels that pain). As a result, it’s your best bet to scrub around the picture and try to find subtle hints as to what country you might be looking at.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 continues the journey of Insomniac Games’ massively successful take on the iconic comic. By far Sony’s biggest first-party heavy hitter of the 2023 calendar year, gamers have been chomping at the bit to see who Peter Parker and Miles Morales take on next. Now that we’ve finally gotten to see a significant amount of gameplay, here’s when Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 comes out.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Release Date

During the PlayStation Showcase 2023, Sony confirmed that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch Oct. 20, 2023. Unlike the previous entries in the series, this title will be available exclusively on PlayStation 5. The publisher originally only offered a vague release window, stopping short of acknowledging the game’s exact release date. Strangely, the full release date was announced just a few days later.

Since the release of Titanfall 2 in 2016, fans have long clamored for a new mainline entry in the franchise. While Apex Legends has filled the gap as a new title within the same universe, fan demand for a proper Titanfall 3 has not quieted down. It appears one designer on the Titanfall series has offered some heartbreaking news regarding this highly requested sequel.

Mohammed Alavi, a former developer at Respawn, sat down for a video interview with YouTube channel THE BURNETTWORK, where the topic of canceled projects came up in discussion. Among the many things they discussed was Titanfall 3, which was apparently in development for nearly a year before Respawn pulled the plug.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage brings Ubisoft’s widely popular franchise back to its roots. Following the franchise’s turn into RPG and open-world gameplay, this new entry returns to the more linear, stealth-driven style that Assassin’s Creed built itself off of. Longtime fans should be more than excited to return to an AC game with that classic feel. Here’s when Assassin’s Creed Mirage comes out.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Release Date

During the PlayStation Showcase 2023, we learned that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will launch on Oct. 12, 2023. This will be the first new title in the franchise since 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Alongside PC and Amazon Luna, this will be a cross-generation release across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield has been by far Xbox’s most hyped upcoming first-party title, and excitement has started to reach a fever pitch as its long-awaited release on Sept. 6 finally draws near. That excitement has been so strong that Microsoft, who has naturally given top billing to Bethesda’s first new IP in over 25 years, is prepping some tie-in merchandise.

Ahead of the combined Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct on June 11, the presence of a limited edition Starfield Xbox controller has been leaked heavily by numerous sources. While initially presumed to be fake, images of this controller have begun making the rounds all over social media. Notably, Reddit user Krunkburrito has taken to the Starfield subreddit to post some close-up images of this slick new controller: 

Street Fighter 6’s World Tour story mode heavily encourages players to venture off the beaten path and explore all that they can in the open-world environment. One of the many side quests worth investigating is the Equivalent Exchange quest, where players collect materials around the city to help Counterfeiter Leonardo out. Here’s how to complete the Equivalent Exchange quest in Street Fighter 6.

Equivalent Exchange in Street Fighter 6

To complete the Equivalent Exchange quest in Street Fighter 6, players must collect six items in Metro City and bring them back to Counterfeiter Leonardo. He will be waiting for you in his usual spot on the Sky Lane in Metro City, and once talking to him, he will give you your assignment. To complete the task, players will have to find the following items:

Have you ever wondered where in the world Sam Fisher is? It’s been a decade since the last Splinter Cell game, and the patience of fans is reasonably wearing thin. Where in the world is he? Well, playing with his new Apple Vision Pro, it seems.

Apple’s recent announcement of the VR/AR-mixed headset has obviously set off a wave of memes. From its unique goggle-like design to its massive price ($3,500, are you kidding?!), social media has been ripe with unique reactions. It appears video game companies are getting in on the fun too, as Ubisoft’s UK Twitter page tweeted their own image of Splinter Cell star Sam Fisher wearing an Apple Vision Pro over his typical goggles:

Street Fighter 6 is available on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. While fewer AAA games are releasing across both generations of consoles as next-gen stock issues are resolving, some games will naturally serve as exceptions. With this in mind, gamers may be curious to know what version would be the better purchase. Here’s your guide on whether to purchase Street Fighter 6 on the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5.

Street Fighter 6: PS4 vs PS5

Naturally, Street Fighter 6 offers a better experience on PlayStation 5, but the version you purchase won’t make much of a difference. The PlayStation 5 version offers much greater visual fidelity than the PlayStation 4 version, while both versions target 60 FPS performance. The PlayStation 5 version has a greater edge as far as load times as well, with matches loading roughly six seconds faster on PlayStation 5 than on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom encourages you to search high and low for every possible item and weapon that you can find. Thanks to some of the new locations available, players will more than likely need to find torches to explore and uncover some of Hyrule’s darker areas. Here’s how you can get a Torch in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Finding a Torch in Tears of the Kingdom

Torches are a prevalent item in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and they can be found all across Hyrule. Most commonly, torches are typically found in different campsites, kitchens, and cooking pots across Hyrule Field and in the Gerudo Desert. These areas can serve as good looting spots in case you want to keep a few torches handy.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took a long time to arrive, but the wait is finally over. Gamers can finally return to the land of Hyrule in what may be the franchise’s largest entry yet. It’s sure to be one of the year’s biggest games, and it may even have several Game of the Year awards already locked up.

What it also has, of course, is memes. No piece of media is safe from the Internet’s memetic ways, and with how popular the Zelda franchise is, it’s sure to rack up more than a few goofs and jests from online users. These are just 10 of the funniest Tears of the Kingdom memes we could find.

Apex Legends cycles off Limited Time Modes during some of its events, and its newest one is going to be a little special. With the upcoming Arsenal update’s first event, Respawn is allowing players to vote on what they want the Limited Time Mode to be. Whether you’re a new or old player, you may want to know how you can get in on the fun and cast your own vote. Here’s how you can vote for the Apex Legends Limited Time Mode.

How to Vote for the Apex Legends Limited Time Mode

The official Apex Legends Twitter announced that fans can vote for the Limited Time Mode arriving in the first Apex Legends: Arsenal event. All you have to do is follow the given link to head to the Apex Legends website and submit your vote, no account required. Voting is currently ongoing and will run through May 8 at 8 AM PST.

The PlayStation Vita was an… interesting system, to say the least. Essentially a PlayStation 3 on the go, the handheld device was part of Sony’s master plan to misread the market and believe that handheld titles need to be on the level of high-budget AAA console games. As a result, it turned out to be one of PlayStation’s biggest commercial failures, and it now lives firmly in the “what could’ve been” boat.

It was a funny little system, though, and these days, a lot of its appeal comes from the rediscovery of the platform’s forgotten titles. One Twitter user, @hvg_core, reminded the world of one of the Vita’s strangest games; they brought us back to 2014 and the world of PlayStation Vita Pets.

Dead Island offers zombie-based action-RPG gameplay as players attempt to survive an infested open world. With the recent arrival of Dead Island 2, players may want to use that as an opportunity to dive headfirst into the entirety of the franchise. Here are all the Dead Island games in order.

All Dead Island Games in Release Order

The Dead Island series consists of four currently playable games, one of which is a spinoff of the series. As the franchise’s story moves forward with each installment and no entry serves as a prequel, it is best to play the series in release order. The order is as follows:

XDefiant, a title originally touted as a Tom Clancy game, is the latest multiplayer arena shooter from Ubisoft. With its near-future setting and team-based first-person shooter gameplay, this looks to carve its own niche in a crowded market of live-service titles. As it’s currently in a closed beta period, players may like to know how they can download it and try it for themselves. Here’s how to download XDefiant.

How to Download XDefiant Closed Beta

To download the XDefiant closed beta, all players will have to do is redeem their closed beta code through Ubisoft’s website. First, players will want to head to Ubisoft’s code redemption site and log into their Ubisoft account. Copy and paste the download key you received into the “Redeem Codes” box and submit. From there, it should appear in your Ubisoft Connect library immediately, and all you’ll have to do is hit “Download.”

Pokemon Stadium’s Nintendo Switch Online reissue means that a new legion of players will finally experience the game for the first time. With this in mind, new players may wonder if they can fight the legendary Mewtwo, and how to go about doing so. Here’s everything you need to know about how to fight Mewtwo in Pokemon Stadium.

How to Fight Mewtwo in Pokemon Stadium

To fight against Mewtwo in Pokemon Stadium, players will need to earn all 10 trophies in the Stadium mode, and complete the Gym Leader castle. Once you achieve this, there will be an option for a bonus VS Mewtwo tournament. In this event, you can bring a party of six Pokemon to fight the legendary beast in two available rounds (though you can have a rematch after completing Round 2).

It’s amazing to think that Dead Island 2 is finally upon us. Having been announced in 2014, it’s changed hands three separate times but publisher Deep Silver never gave up on the game. Even though it was starting to look like a proper release would never happen, it’s finally here and has managed to escape from the depths of “development hell”. Regardless of the quality of the final release, Deep Silver and Dambuster Studios deserve commendation for seeing it through to the finish line with this project.

Many games simply never get to that finish line. Some linger in development hell, only being brought up rarely in conversations as some kind of myth or urban legend of gaming. It’s always a joy to see games escape from this, though, even if the final product isn’t everything it could’ve been. Here are 10 games that we would like to see follow in Dead Island 2’s footsteps and push past development hell.

Dredge, the debut title from developer Black Salt Games, is a uniquely dark take on a fishing game. Mixing elements of a horror game with some more adventure and RPG-based elements, it offers an experience that’s hard to find anywhere else. Such an experience is something gamers may wonder if they can get through a subscription service, especially if they’d like to try it before they buy it. Here’s what you need to know about whether Dredge is on Xbox Game Pass.

Is Dredge on Game Pass?

Let’s get the bad news out succinctly; no, Dredge is not currently available on Xbox Game Pass. While this service has helped many an indie game shine, it appears Black Salt wants to release the game on its own terms, thus forgoing a Game Pass release for now. Xbox is not the only one missing out in this case, as Dredge will not be released on PlayStation Plus either. Thus, if gamers want to jump in, they’ll have to pay the full price for it.

It feels like it’s been a long wait for Final Fantasy XVI, especially given the long periods with seemingly little news to show for it. Just under three years after its initial announcement, though, the finish line is finally in sight.

Just today, it was announced through the Final Fantasy XVI Twitter account that the game has finally gone gold. What this means is that development has been completed and the game is ready to be properly released and manufactured.