[Best SSD for gaming in 2022]

The best SSD for gaming is what your PC deserves. Not only will it keep your machine ticking along nicely, but it'll ensure that your load times are as low as they can be. We're still waiting on Microsoft DirectStorage to really take advantage of these drives, but in the meantime, you can enjoy super speedy file transfers in Windows, and rest assured that your storage isn't holding you back. 

There's no denying how fast current SSDs are, especially when compared to old spinning hard drives. The same with SATA drives and PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Games that used to take minutes to boot years ago like Skyrim and GTA 5, load in a matter of seconds. Once you experience this, you'll never go back to HDDs, ever. And the future only looks better and better on this front, with the soon-to-be-released Forspoken taking just a second to load. 

Every SSD here has gone through our intensive benchmarking suite: A combination of real-world game loading tests and synthetic speed tests to find the best SSD for gaming. I've used each SSD as the primary drive on a new install of Windows 11 to check its performance. 

You'll notice that our picks for the best SSDs are pretty much just 1TB drives; anything smaller than that, while cheaper, suffers a drop in speed. And honestly, with games being so big nowadays, a 250GB SSD will fill up so much faster than you think. Anything bigger ends up being too expensive to be a practical choice unless you find a good 2TB or 4TB SSD on sale. It might be tempting to pick a large 8TB HDD on sale, but trust me, SSDs are the way to go. 

Best SSD for gaming

(Image credit: Western Digital)

1. WD Black SN850

The best PCIe 4.0 SSD

Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Controller: WD_Black G2 | Memory: BiCS4 96-layer TLC | Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 | Seq. read: 7,000MB/s | Seq write: 5,300MB/s

Blistering PCIe 4.0 throughput

Excellent real-world performance

Solid 5 year warranty

Runs hot

No AES 256-bit encryption

Our favorite WD Black SN850 config:

WD_Black SN850 | 1TB | 7,000MB/s read | 5,300MB/s write
The 1TB version is our pick from the SN850 range. The 500GB drive lacks the full punchy pace that is the signature of 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs and is pricier than most similarly capacious PCIe 3.0 drives, but the 1TB SN850 has a decent sticker price and stellar speed. And is just about the best you can buy today.View Deal

The Western Digital Black SN850 makes a fashionably late entrance to the PCIe 4.0 party. It can hit 7,000MB/s reads and 5,300MB/s writes in sequential transfers, which is well beyond most drives' capabilities. That's because it uses the latest PCIe 4.0 interface, which has double the theoretical bandwidth limit of other PCIe 3.0 drives.

Performance ultimately defines any SSD; the WD SN850 really stands out from the crowd. The synthetic benchmarks, spearheaded by ATTO and AS SSD, show that this is very much a second-generation PCIe 4.0 drive, with peak sequential read speeds knocking on 6,750MB/s and 5,920MB/s, respectively. Writes are lower than the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus but still healthy, at either side of 5GB/s. The 4K write performance in AS SSD manages to flip this over, and the WD SN850 outpaces the Sabrent drive. 

The WD SN850 really stands out from the crowd.

If your motherboard doesn't have a bundled heatsink, then you may need to look at the $20-more expensive version of the drive—it uses the shipping container aesthetic of Western Digitals external drives. Which, personally speaking, looks good, although whether you can spot it in your case is a different matter. If you can aim some active cooling at the drive, then that'll be even better. We didn't notice any throttling in testing, although it's something to be aware of. 

The Samsung 980 Pro, which had the edge for a few months, is left out in the cold, especially as it costs the same as the SN850, but loses out to the newer drive in every metric (apart from operating temperatures). Neither is a bad drive, obviously, but if we had to recommend a next-gen SSD right now, there's only one clear option, and that's the WD SN850. It's simply the best drive you can buy today.

Read our full WD Black SN850 1TB review.

(Image credit: Future)

2. WD Black SN770

The best value for money PCIe 4.0 SSD

Capacity: 1TB | Controller: Sandisk PCIe 4.0 | Flash: Kioxia BiCS5 112-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 5,150MB/s | Seq. write: 4,900MB/s

Solid performance

In-house controller and flash

Five-year warranty

Relatively small SLC cache...

...slow when you go over it

Can get toasty

Our favorite WD Black SN770 config:

WD Black SN770 | 1TB | 5,150MB/s read | 4,900MB/s write
This DRAM-less drive may not offer the fastest throughput, but it isn't far off, and in terms of value for money it's in a class of its own. 1TB for just over $100 is definitely worth picking up.View Deal

We've seen some incredible NVMe SSD releases recently, but they've tended to focus on top-end performance and come with prices to match. The WD_Black SN770 bucks this trend and like its predecessor, the SN750, is aimed at offering better value for money than outright performance. 

The main way it achieves this is by being a DRAM-less SSD drive. This saves a big chunk of the manufacturer's bill of materials, and thanks to advances in the latest controllers, it can be surprising how little impact this has on performance. Such drives are slower, don't get me wrong, but this new SN770 still quotes read and writes of 5,150MB/s and 4,900MB/s respectively. Not bad. 

The drive itself is a low-profile affair, with this 1TB model boasting a single NAND flash module at the back (actually a rebranded Kioxia BiCS5 112-Layer TLC chip) and the SanDisk controller towards the connector. Western Digital rarely reveals much about its controllers, and that's the case once again here. 

The SN770 is available in four sizes—250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, although there's no 4TB option, which is a bit of a shame. If you want a seriously capacious drive, you're going to want to track down the Sabrent Rocket offerings, which go all the way up to 8TB. 

The synthetic performance shows the SN770 trails more expensive drives in terms of reads, although the writes are much closer. The 4K performance is relatively impressive and shows that the SN770 has something to offer in this crowded marketplace. It's not too surprising that this drive outperforms Samsung's DRAM-less offering, as that is a PCIe 3.0 drive, after all, but the extent to which it does is impressive.

It's worth noting that this drive can get hot when pushed, just like the SN850 in fact. It hit 76°C after a long day of testing, although that was without any direct cooling on it at all, not even a heatsink. It should be fine in most systems, especially if your motherboard does come with some cooling solution.

It's in the real-world tests where the SN770 really struts its stuff. Basically, you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between this drive and much faster offerings in most day-to-day operations. Given this is the cheaper drive right now, that counts for a lot. If you need better performance, then the SN850 is clearly the better drive, but you will pay considerably more for it.

The only problem issue for this drive is that we don't know for sure how fast a drive needs to be for Microsoft's DirectStorage. We know some developers have been targeting 5,000MB/s, which is where the SN770 sits in our testing. So it should be good, and for the money, it's very tempting. If you're a serious gamer though, we'd recommend going a little bit higher up the product stack, and grabbing that WD_Black SN850. 

Read our full WD Black SN770 1TB review.

(Image credit: Seagate`)

3. Seagate Firecuda 530

A speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD that will last and last

Capacity : 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 controller | Memory: Micron 176L TLC NAND | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,300MB/s | Seq. write: 6,900MB/s

All round great performance

Excellent endurance ratings

One of the more expensive PCIe 4.0 drives

Lacks AES 256-bit encryption

Our favorite Seagate Firecuda 530 config:

Seagate Firecuda 530 | 2TB | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,900 MB/s write
The 2TB version is the version to go for; it gives you the highest straight performance and an astounding endurance level. The version with the gorgeous EKWB heatsink is a little more expensive, but if you don't have integrated SSD cooling on your motherboard it's worth going for.View Deal

Seagate may have taken a while to get into the solid state game, and especially the PCIe 4.0 market, but it has arrived with a bang with the Firecuda 530. With or without the heatsink (something that's necessary for its PlayStation 5 compatibility) the latest Seagate drive is a stunner.

Of course, the rated sequential read/write speeds are fantastic, but it's the endurance levels that really stand out compared to the competition. The 2TB drive we tested has an unprecedented 2,550 TBW rating when it comes to endurance, which is something you won't see this side of an SSD made for Chia mining.

The 2TB FireCuda 530's rated sequential read and write speed is 7300/6900 MB/s, and that’s pushing the limits of a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. For users looking at the other capacities, the 4TB drive has the same rating while the smaller 1TB and 500GB drives are rated for 7300/6000 MB/s and 7000/3000 MB/s respectively. 

It combines brand-new Micron 176-Layer TLC NAND—the same memory Crucial is using to great effect with the new P5 Plus drives—with a Phison PS5018-E18 controller. Micron claims that its 176L TLC NAND is the best in the industry with a 30% smaller die size and a 35% improvement in read and write latency over its previous generation 96L NAND.

Apart from the PCMark 10 storage tests, the FireCuda 530 either matches or beats the big bois of the storage world, and when you add its leading sequential performance and endurance rating, the Seagate 530 is at least the equal of any consumer SSD on the market. 

And in terms of performance the FireCuda 530 either matches or beats the big bois of the storage world, and when you add its leading sequential performance and endurance rating, the Seagate 530 is at least the equal of any consumer SSD on the market. 

Read our full Seagate Firecuda 530 2TB review.

(Image credit: Sabrent)

4. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

The best drive for performance and value for money

Capacity: 2TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 | Flash: Micron B47R 176-layer TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,100MB/s | Seq. write: 6,600MB/s

Updated flash and firmware

Strong synthetic throughput

Runs cool

Not the fastest in everything

Not the cheapest option either

Our favorite Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus config:

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus | 2TB | 7,100MB/s read | 6,600MB/s write
The 2TB model may be pricier than the 1TB drive, but not only do you receive extra space but also extra performance for your money.View Deal

The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus was the first SSD to hit our lab using the new Phison E18 controller, which is the follow-up to the immensely popular Phison E16 controller found in basically every first-gen PCIe 4.0 drive. Offering peak reads of 7,100MB/s and writes of 6,600MB/s, it wasn't only a major step up from the first generation of PCIe 4.0 drives but a notable improvement over the Samsung 980 Pro, especially in terms of write performance.

In testing, this performance was born out too, with the faster write performance dominating Samsung's drive in the write tests. Real-world performance didn't always tell the same story, although the differences between these top drives can be slight. Even so, you're looking at AS SSD hitting 5,868MB/s for reads and 5,630MB/s for writes. Impressive stuff.

Sabrent has recently updated this drive to use faster NAND flash and also new firmware for the Phison E18 controller. The quoted performance doesn't change with this update, but some performance metrics have improved, and it's that bit closer to the competition while still offering solid value for money.

One thing worth noting is that the SSD market is in a state of flux at the moment, with pricing shifting almost daily. On release, this was the cheapest second-gen PCIe 4.0 you could lay your hands on, but there's often nothing between this and our top pick, the WD_Black SN850, which is why this is in the second spot.

This drive does run cooler than the SN850 though, which may be a factor if you're looking for a drive for a cramped case. Also, this is a drive worth keeping an eye on in the sales season as it's often keenly discounted, more so than the other drives here.

The new version of the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is a welcome release, even if it doesn't dramatically alter the drive's place in the market. We've had faster drives released recently, like the Kingston Fury Renegade, along with more budget-focused offerings like the WD Black SN770, leaving the new Rocket 4 Plus in pretty much the same place as the original—not the fastest, nor the cheapest, but a happy middle ground of the two.

Read our full Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB review.

(Image credit: Crucial)

5. Crucial MX500

The best SATA SSD for secondary storage

Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Controller: Silicon Motion SM2258 | Memory: Micron TLC | Interface: SATA 6Gbps | Seq. read: 560MB/s | Seq. write: 510MB/s

One of the fastest SATA drives

Competitive price per GB

Low endurance rating for heavy data writes

Slow compared to any NMVe SSD

Our favorite Crucial MX500 config:

Crucial MX500 | 1TB | 560MB/s read | 510MB/s write
It's not always possible to jam an NVMe SSD into your PC or laptop, and if that's the case then you need a great SATA drive. And the Crucial MX500 is most definitely that. With a full terabyte of storage, and performance at the limit of the SATA interface, it's a quality drive.View Deal

The Crucial MX500 is the only SATA drive left on our list of the best SSDs for gaming, but when the price delta between PCIe and SATA is so small, it's difficult to make an argument for the far slower technology. But, as there is a hard limit on the number of M.2 slots on your motherboard, there is still a place for SATA SSDs as secondary storage.

And the Crucial MX500 is one of the best. With SATA's maximum theoretical bandwidth limit of 600MB/s, it's nearly as quick as you'll get, and Crucial's drives have long been among the best-value options available too. This is the most affordable 1TB SATA drive you can pick up and it makes a great second home for your Steam and Epic libraries.

It will happily function as a boot drive on systems with no M.2 sockets, or at least no bootable M.2 sockets anyway. You will still be missing out on the zippy response of your operating system running on the SSD-specific NVMe protocol, but if that's not an option anyway, this drive will see you right. 

(Image credit: Kingston)

6. Kingston Fury Renegade

Awesome PCIe Gen 4 performance but at a serious price

Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Controller: Phison PS5018-E18 | Flash: Micron 176-Layer 3D TLC | Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 | Seq. read: 7,300MB/s | Seq. write: 7,000MB/s

Killer PCIe 4.0 performance

Excellent write endurance

Low operating temps

Painfully pricey

4K performance merely competitive

Our favorite Kingston Fury Renegade config:

Kingston Fury Renegade | 2TB | 7,300 MB/s read | 7,000 MB/s write
High-capacity SSDs are expensive, particularly the latest PCIe 4.0 drives. But if you're after a seriously speedy drive that will last you for years, then this Kingston drive is impressive. View Deal

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

Best CPU for gaming: the top chips from Intel and AMD
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It would be easy to look at the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD as just another Phison E18-based drive with another stupid name, but that would mean missing out on one of the outright fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs in the business. The Renegade certainly cranks out the numbers. It also runs cool, has excellent rated write endurance, and a long warranty. But all that good stuff comes at a painful price.

Phison's PS5018-E18 is an eight-channel controller knocked out on none other than TSMC’s 12nm process. It’s loaded with five CPU cores in total, three based on generic ARM Cortex R5 IP and two cores with proprietary Phison designs. Phison claims the E18 can crank out 7.4GB/s read and 7GB/s write speeds, not to mention one million IOPS. We’ve previously seen the E18 classified as an NVMe 1.4 chip, but Kingston claims NVMe 2.0 support for the Fury Renegade.

We believe Kingston is using the same Micron 176-Layer 3D TLC chips as seen in the KC3000 sibling drive. All of which means you’re looking at a thoroughly up-to-date drive. Obviously, the PCIe 5.0 standard is notionally upon us with the arrival of Intel’s Alder Lake CPUs. But we’re some way from PCIe 5.0 drives and platforms being mainstream and compatible drives being available in volume.

In terms of the subjective computing experience, we doubt you’d be able to pick it from the rest of the high-performance PCIe Gen 4 crop. This means the broader package and pricing are key differentiators. We feel good about this drive’s long-term reliability thanks to those cool running temps and epic write endurance rating.

The value for money proposition is a lot less appealing. This is currently one of the most expensive PCIe Gen 4 drives out there right now, rolling in at $425 at the time of review. The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, WD Black SN850, and Samsung 980 Pro can all be had for considerably less money. So, as undeniably good as this is, we find the Kingston Fury Renegade a little tough to justify at this lofty price point.

Read our full Kingston Fury Renegade review.

Best SSD for gaming FAQ

What's the difference between SATA and NVMe PCIe-based SSDs?

As the prices of NVMe SSDs fall every day, we don't see much difference in cost between the best NVMe SSDs and their SATA-based equivalents. When the cheapest 2.5-inch 1TB SATA SSD is only $24 less than an equivalent capacity NVMe PCIe drive (and four times slower), why bother with older SATA technology when you can move into the future for so cheap?

Many of the best SSDs for gaming still use the PCIe 3.0 interface, but we're starting to see more PCIe 4.0 drives sliding into the market. Corsair was an early pacesetter here, and the newly launched 500GB Samsung 980 Pro SSD did well in testing, but the value proposition isn't the greatest, unfortunately.

Where SATA's theoretical performance limit is 600MB/s, and PCIe 3.0's is 4,000MB/s, the newer PCIe 4.0 SSDs can double that figure to a maximum of 8,000MB/s. The current top speed of available Gen4 drives is around 7,000MB/s, which is double that of the previous generation, top out at 3,500MB/s, in the real world.

How big an SSD should I buy?

The easy, slightly dumb answer is: as big as you can afford. With SSDs, the higher capacity, the quicker they are. That's because you end up with more memory dies plumbed into a multi-channel memory controller, and that extra parallelism leads to higher performance. 

We would traditionally say that an entry-level SSD should come in at least 512GB in order to pack in your operating system, for slick general system speed, and your most regularly played games. But such is the increasing size of modern games that a 1TB SSD is increasingly looking like the minimum recommendation. That's also where the performance starts to go up too.

Is PCIe 4.0 worth it for SSDs?

If you want the absolute fastest drives available then PCIe 4.0 SSDs are the way to go. They're quicker than any PCIe 3.0 drive, and will make large file transfers for such things as video editing lightning fast. They will also be prepared for the future of gaming in Windows 11 with the DirectStorage feature being used to take the load off the CPU and fire data directly at the graphics card to improve performance and shorten, or even remove, load times in tomorrow's open world games.

Can you put a PCIe 4.0 SSD in a 3.0 slot?

Yes, you can. They M.2 socket is identical between the two generations of interface and so a PCIe 4.0 SSD will fit comfortably inside a PCIe 3.0 slot. They will also function perfectly well too, except the Gen4 drive will be limited by the speed of the older interface.

That is is theoretically 4GB/s, but is actually closer to 3,500MB/s due to various overheads. PCIe 4.0 SSDs do cost more than their PCIe 3.0 counterparts though, so unless you're planning to upgrade to a supporting platform soon, it's probably worth sticking with a more-affordable PCIe 3.0 drive.

How do we test SSDs?

SSDs make your whole system faster and more pleasant to use. But they matter for gaming, too. A fast-loading SSD can cut dozens of seconds off the load times of big games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, or MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV. An SSD won't affect framerates like your GPU or CPU, but it will make installing, booting, dying, and reloading in games a faster, smoother process.

When shopping for a good SSD for gaming, one of the most important factors is the price per gigabyte. How much will you have to spend to keep a robust library of Steam games installed, ready to be played at a moment's notice? With many new games surpassing the 50GB and even 150GB mark, this becomes even more critical.

To find the best gaming SSDs, we researched the SSD market, picked out the strongest contenders, and put them through their paces with various benchmarking tools. We also researched what makes a great SSD great, beyond the numbers—technical stuff like types of flash memory and controllers.

PCIe 4.0 SSDs are supported by 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs and X570 and B550 motherboards as well as by Intel's latest Rocket Lake platform. Sure, they're mighty for bandwidth, but when it's crunch-time in-game, there's not a vast amount more it can deliver than a PCIe 3.0 drive, at least not until Microsoft delivers DirectStorage, which will be exclusive to Windows 11. 

Is PCIe 4.0 worth it for SSDs?

If you want the absolute fastest drives available then PCIe 4.0 SSDs are the way to go. They're quicker than any PCIe 3.0 drive, and will make large file transfers for such things as video editing lightning fast. They will also be prepared for the future of gaming in Windows 11 with the DirectStorage feature being used to take the load off the CPU and fire data directly at the graphics card to improve performance and shorten, or even remove, load times in tomorrow's open world games.

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[Where to find Shadows of Doom in World of Wrath of the Lich King Classic]

With the Scourge invasion well underway in the Wrath of the Lich King Classic pre-patch, you might be wondering where to find the Shadows of Doom enemies required for one of the quests. It can be pretty tricky to figure out how to get them to spawn, not to mention actually tagging one if you're on a busy realm.

There are several stages to the Scourge invasion that will run up until the Wrath Classic expansion launches on September 26, and the Necropoli that appear in many locations across Azeroth is just one of them. So if you're on the lookout for one of the WoW Shadows of Doom, here's where to find one, and what you need to do to complete the quest.

WoW Shadows of Doom: Where they spawn 

Shadows of Doom is a quest that you can pick up from Commander Thomas Helleran in Light's Hope Chapel in Eastern Plaguelands. You're tasked with killing a Shadow of Doom, which can spawn in the vicinity of a Necropolis.

During the Scourge invasion, Necropoli will spawn in various locations across the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. The zones where these can appear are:

• Azshara
• Blasted Lands
• Burning Steppes
• Eastern Plaguelands
• Tanaris
• Winterspring

Hordes of undead will start spawning around these areas and you should see at least one Necrotic Shard nearby—you're looking for an upright crystal in the centre of a pink summoning circle. Once you've found one, start killing the undead in the area, which can drop Necrotic Runes but, more importantly, will damage the nearby shard. Once you have depleted the shard's health completely, four NPCs will spawn to start repairing it. 

Interact with one of these newly spawned NPCs and you'll be prompted to use eight Necrotic Runes. This causes the Shadow of Doom to spawn in its place and you can now kill it to complete the quest objective before returning to Thomas Helleran at Light's Hope Chapel.

Just be aware that Shadow of Doom can be pretty tough, so it's useful to party up for this particular quest. It's worth noting though that the quest won't complete if you're in a raid group.

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[Best external SSD for gaming on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X]

The best external SSD is more than just a backup device. It's a handy way to keep your most important data with you at school or work, on your commute, and of course at home. It allows you to keep your massive games library to hand without taking up precious storage space on your desktop and laptop. And it can of course work as a great backup space should your PC fail. 

The best external SSDs are speedy and reliable too, thanks to moving over to using the latest NVMe SSDs and the fastest interfaces. If you're looking for a perfect external SDD, USB Type-C drives are top-tier. And overall, the performance of external SSDs has improved a lot in the past years. Some even support 2GB/s of raw bandwidth, so you can transfer huge game files in minutes rather than spending hours. 

An external SSD is a more affordable way of expanding the storage on your Sony PlayStation 5 or Microsoft Xbox Series X gaming console too. You can even run games directly off the SSD itself in most cases, but we understand the dubiousness around the idea.

Whatever the size, speed, and price of the external SSD, chances are we've got one that's right for you listed below. Each of these entries we've tested thoroughly, putting them through our gauntlet of benchmarks so they could earn their right to store your precious games.

Best external SSD

(Image credit: Adata)

1. ADATA SE800 1TB

All round best external SSD

Storage: 1TB | Connectivity: USB 3.2 Type-C | Sequential read: 1GB/s | Dimensions: 73 x 44 x 12mm | Warranty: 3 years

Fast NVMe technology

Competitively priced

IP68 dust and water proofing

Uses the 10Gbps Gen2 interface

Looking for something with speedy NVMe tech inside? The ADATA SE800 1TB has that. TLC NAND memory? Affirmative. IP rating for increased robustness, including waterproofing? Check. And all for an attractive price compared to its main competitors.

The ADATA SE800 Ultra FAST 1TB really does have quite a bit going for it.

It starts with that M.2 NVMe drive, bridged to a USB interface. In this case, it’s a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface rather than a 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection. But this drive is still claimed to be good for 1GB/s data transfers in both directions. Lest you have forgotten, that’s around twice as fast as any SATA-based drives, including internal SSDs connected natively via SATA.

That makes it unique among these SSDs, and, what’s more, given the competitive pricing, you’re getting that IP rating effectively for free. Performance-wise, in testing, the ADATA delivers in the headline 1GB/s spec for sequential transfers while notching up 4K random throughput that’s comparable to the competition at 21MB/s for reads and 40MB/s for writes.

That all goes along with a IP68 dust and water proofing, which seems to do the trick in testing.

(Image credit: Western Digital)

2. WD Black P50 Game Drive 1TB

The fastest USB Type-C gaming drive in town

Storage: 1TB | Connectivity: USB 3.2 2x2 Type-C | Sequential read: 2GB/s | Dimensions: 118 x 62 x 14mm | Warranty: 5 years

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connectivity

Up to 2GB sequential performance

Middling sustained transfer speeds

If you’re looking for fast USB-powered external storage for games, this is currently as good as it gets. At least, it is in theory. The WD Black P50 Game Drive we tested here in 1TB format, and available in 500GB and 2TB flavors, is a rare breed of USB Type-C external SSD. That’s because it supports the very fastest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps interface, which is why it’s capable of read and write speeds up to 2,000MB/s.

As for real-world performance, in terms of peak sequential, the WD Black P50 easily maxed out the 10Gbps connection of our test PC, registering just over 1GB/s in both directions. It’s likely capable of the advertised 2GB/s with the right interface, however.

Sustained performance is a little less impressive, with performance dropping to around 375MB/s after around 30GB of data transfer. Random access performance is reasonable rather than spectacular, with 22MB/s reads, and 40MB/s writes for the 4K QD1 metric.

(Image credit: Crucial)

3. Crucial X8 2TB

A great-value NVMe-based external SSD

Storage: 2TB | Connectivity: USB 3.2 Type-C | Sequential read: 1,050MB/s | Dimensions: 110 x 53 x 12mm | Warranty: 3 years

Strong NVMe performance

2GB DRAM cache

Healthy 2TB of storage

QLC flash does drop sustained speeds

If you want it all, you’re going to have to pay for it. So, sometimes it makes sense to compromise. Enter the Crucial X8 2TB USB Type-C SSD. It’s not the absolute fastest external SSD on Earth. But it is quick. It’s extremely capacious. It’s built into a really solid-feeling metal case. And it’s attractively priced. In fact, right now, it’s available at Best Buy for $239. That’s over $150 less than WD’s Black P50 Game Drive in 2TB trim.

And so it proves in our testing, with the Crucial X8 good for just under 1GB/s for sequential transfers in both directions. 4K random performance is decent, too, for this class of drive, with reads of 27MB/s and writes just over 40MB/s at QD1.

Given the use of QLC NAND, one big question mark is sustained performance. However, while the Crucial X8 does drop down to 380MB/s with sustained traffic, in our testing, it maintained that level for many tens of GB, which puts it on a par with the more expensive WD drive.

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(Image credit: Samsung)

4. Samsung T5 SSD

A smart SSD built to last

Storage: 1TB | Connectivity: USB 3.1 Type-C | Sequential read: 484MB/s | Dimensions: 76 x 58 x 10mm | Warranty: 3 years

Much faster than HDDs

Easily fits in your pocket

Up to 2TB of storage capacity

Premium pricing means you pay more for same capacity found elsewhere

For the power user who wants it all—speed, capacity, and portability—and who is willing to pay a premium for it, Samsung’s Portable SSD T5 is one of the slickest solutions out there.

Our testing proved it's not only faster than any USB flash drive available, it also has the capacity of a hard drive, and you can carry it pretty inconspicuously in your pocket, considering it's only 76 x 58 x 10mm. This spunky little drive shares the same DNA as Samsung’s 860 Evo SSD, just in a smaller package.

Speed doesn’t come at the expense of storage space either. While it’s easy to bump into the storage ceiling of a 32GB, 64GB, or even a 128GB USB flash drive, you’ll find there’s much more breathing room when dealing with terabytes of space, which is what the T5 offers. Whereas the first generation T1 topped out at 1TB, Samsung doubled the maximum capacity of the T5 to 2TB, a result of upgrading from 32 to 48 stacked layers of V-NAND flash memory cells for a denser configuration.

(Image credit: Crucial)

5. Crucial X6 2TB

The toughest external hard drive on the market

Storage: 2TB | Connectivity: USB 3.2 Type-C | Sequential read: 540MB/s | Dimensions: 69 x 64 x 11mm | Warranty: 3 years

2TB is a lot of storage

Decent performance

No DRAM cache

There’s a fine line between compelling and compromised when it comes to external USB Type-C SSDs. For your money, our testing proved the Crucial X6 falls on just the wrong side of that divide, but it's worth a look.

One of the knock-on implications of that architectural difference is that the X8 has a 2GB of DRAM cache whereas the X6 has none at all. The X6 does support features like TRIM passthrough, which isn’t always the case on cheaper USB drives and ensures that performance should be sustained in the longer term. It’s also very compact for a 2TB drive, measuring 69 x 64 x 11mm.

As for raw performance, peak write speeds are a little disappointing at 378MB/s, as is the 12MB/s 4K QD1 write throughput. It’s also worth noting that write performance eventually drops to 180MB/s with sustained throughput. However, in our testing, it never dropped lower than that, even with over 50GB of sustained traffic.

(Image credit: Seagate)

6. Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB

A slightly underwhelming SATA-based SSD

Storage: 1TB | Connectivity: USB 3.2 Type-C | Sequential read: 540MB/s | Dimensions: 93 x 79 x 9mm | Warranty: 3 years

Good software package

Slim chassis

Mediocre performance

This is not the fastest USB Type-C SSD you can buy for gaming. But then, it’s far from the most expensive. Compared, say, to the WD Black P50 Game Drive, the branding of the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB looks like a bit of stretch. Rated at 540MB/s for reads and 500MB/s for writes, it’s simply nowhere near as quick.

Board walk

(Image credit: MSI)

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Then again, that fancy WD Drive with its NVMe SSD and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps interface costs roughly 75 percent more for the same 1TB of capacity. Moreover, a great deal of that increased performance isn’t available on most PCs and all consoles due to limited interface support.

A great deal that is. But not all. The Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB is essentially a SATA SSD behind a USB bridge, which means performance is limited to 6Gbps despite the drive’s 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface. What’s more, in our testing, the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB couldn’t even deliver its modest claimed performance, clocking just 306MB/s for sequential write performance. It also drops down to just 190MB/s with sustained multi-GB workloads.

Arguably even more problematic is the existence of NVMe-based drives for similar money. The ADATA SE800 Ultra FAST 1TB, for instance, is around twice as quick for peak sequential performance. It’s a pity because the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD looks slick with its sleek enclosure and LED status light. And Seagate’s file syncing and backup software is handy. But there’s better performance to be had elsewhere.

The best external SSDs FAQ

Should I buy an NMVe or SATA external SSD?

Performance-wise, your choice is between a drive based on the SATA interface with a bridge to USB, or an NVMe interface, again behind a USB bridge. SATA-based USB Type-C drives top out at around 540MB/s peak performance, while the NVMe options up the ante to a maximum of 2GB/s.

At least they do, in theory. To achieve those peak speeds, you’d need a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port with 20Gbps capability. That’s something that remains relatively rare on PCs and laptops and isn’t available on any console, including the new Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X. Instead, you’ll find most high-speed USB ports top out at 10Gbps.

Indeed, it’s unlikely that USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 will ever become widely used. Instead, USB 4 will likely take over, increasing bandwidth to 40Gbps. But the good news is that USB 4 is backward compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. So, it will be possible to extract maximum performance from a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps drives in the future using a USB 4 interface.

What type of NAND flash should I go for?

Interface specification isn’t the only deciding factor when it comes to performance. Features like controller specification and the type and quality of NAND flash used are also important, though it’s not always easy to identify the finer details. Many manufacturers are reluctant to quote full specifications. For instance, drives with four-level QLC NAND memory will tend to have worse underlying performance than those with triple-layer TLC memory.

Form factor and other frills should also be part of your calculations. Some drives are built to be particularly robust; others include extras like hardware encryption, status LEDs, or even fingerprint scanners for added security. Some of those features fairly tangential to the basic remit of providing high-performance storage space for a games library. But you might also be looking for a drive that can serve more than one role. 

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[Today's Wordle 451 answer and hint: Tuesday, September 13]

All the help you need to solve today's Wordle is right here, alongside a broad selection of handy hints, helpful guides, and even an archive of past answers. In short, you have everything you need to clear the September 13 (451) puzzle in the way you want to.

Seeing just one yellow in the opener feels a little dangerous rather than reassuring—where do I go from here? It's not a lot to work with, knowing a letter exists in there… somewhere. Luckily for me, a few carefully considered follow-up guesses make things much clearer, but that first go still stings. 

Wordle hint

Today's Wordle: A hint for Tuesday, September 13

The designated title for the dominant wolf in a pack, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and even a type of radiation. There are a lot of ways to use today's Wordle answer in many different fields, although they tend to use it to refer to the first, brightest, strongest, or most notable part of something.  

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, it's playing Wordle well, which is why I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:

• A good opener contains a balanced mix of unique vowels and consonants. 
• A tactical second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
• The solution may contain repeat letters.

There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by midnight. So there's no reason to not treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you're coming up blank.

Wordle answer

(Image credit: Josh Wardle)

What is the Wordle 451 answer?

Sometimes those boxes just look like a jumble of letters. The answer to the September 13 (451) Wordle is ALPHA.

Previous answers

Wordle archive: Which words have been used

The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today's Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that's already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.

Here are some recent Wordle solutions:

• September 12: BOOZE
• September 11: TIBIA
• September 10: LOFTY
• September 9: THEME
• September 8: CLASS
• September 7: LEERY
• September 6: TAUNT
• September 5: WHOOP
• September 4: INTER
• September 3: GULLY

Learn more about Wordle 

Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it's up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.

You'll want to start with a strong word like ALERT—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters. Hit Enter and the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns ️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. means you've got the right letter in the right spot.

You'll want your second go to compliment the first, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer.

After that it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).

If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used you'll find those below.

Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes. 

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[Welcome suxel33]

Hello suxel33,

Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

suxel33 joined on the 09/12/2022.

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[A new browser-in-the-browser attack threatens Steam users]

Those dodgy hackers are at it again, and this is one that gamers in particular need to keep an eye out for as it targets Steam users.

Group-IB (via Bleeping Computer) is reporting that a sophisticated Browser-in-the-Browser phishing technique is snaring Steam users. In particular, competitive and professional gamers are being targeted with fake direct messages on Steam, inviting them to join tournaments. The user will then navigate to a slick looking game tournament platform where they are asked to log in using their Steam credentials and a 2FA code.

Once that’s done, the hackers will have access to the users account, being able to change the login credentials, making recovery difficult. By the time you regain access, your virtual goods such as skins will probably be gone, your credit card info could be compromised or the hacker may use your friends list for further targeting.

By baiting users with tournament play, this is an attack that is apparently aimed at competitive and professional gamers. These accounts are the ones that are more likely to have expensive virtual goods, with Group-IB claiming that some accounts are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This kind of phishing attack is especially devious since it is a mimicking render of a real browser pop up window. For all intents and purposes, an unsuspecting user would believe they are using a real site, complete with a security certificate, multiple languages and a professional design. The fake window can be maximized, minimized, and moved around to give it a more legitimate look. 

(Image credit: Group-IB)

As the attack uses JavaScript, a script blocking extension will offer some protection by preventing the malicious code from running. As someone that has fallen victim to a browser phishing attack in years past, I use a script blocking extension. It can be a pain when navigating to new sites but in the years since installing, I cannot imagine not using it.

The general rules of the internet remain. If something appears too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t click on links from sources you don’t trust and carefully filter or ignore unknown direct messages and emails. Whether its cryptocurrency, NFT’s or CS:GO skins, if something has a dollar value attached to it, dodgy scumbags will try to steal them from you. Stay safe out there!

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[Those coffin office chairs aren't real, but they should be]

It's been almost a week since the viral tweet showing off those coffin office chairs took off and ignited the imaginations of the chronically online. Those perfectly angular shapes, wood crafted exteriors, and most importantly undead vibes have me craving the coffice chair of my dreams, and the internet is letting me down.

The appeal of a coffice chair goes far beyond just mere aesthetics, it's about nailing a mood. Nothing quite says trapped in the office like a chair shaped like a coffin. The perfect throne for a Zoom call to let everyone know just how your Monday is going. Or maybe you were sent a malicious GIF through Teams and are just pre-empting the inevitable.

Let's ramp up the dramatic flair and visualise with me for a second. You're in your office, back turned to the door leaning into the lining of your, hopefully much more comfortable than it looks, chair. Someone enters, so you perform the dramatic swivel offered by the office portion of the chair and face them. There you are, a scowl in the darkness of your coffin. If you do it right they might just even leave without asking you for anything. Another point for the coffice chair.

With its internet fame and endless possibilities, it's pretty clear that the coffin chair is a win, at least conceptually. What's impossibly clear is that gaming companies have been wasting their time with race car chairs for far too long. To help with the pivot, I have some suggestions for the first one to take the coffice chair of my dreams and turn it into reality.

Sitting comfortably?

(Image credit: Secretlab)

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As we've established, those viral images are just renders but boy do they look uncomfortable enough to give you rigor mortis. These are your bargain bin looking chipboard coffins for cremation. Great for purpose, but this warmed up corpse likes a bit more comfort at their PC. Lets get that plush high end vampire inlay with lumbar support, and a head pillow. Bring it inline with something like Razer's Iskur. After all, we're still the living dead, for now.

Handles for pallbearers are visible on the sides of the chair, which is another great win for coffin relatability, but let's tweak that for gamers. Plush those handles out a bit and give me some arm wrests, maybe a drink holder. The top ones look like they could make great headset stands. Plus that outer housing looks prime for some RGB lighting inlay, like the Vertagear SL5000, which could double as emergency lights in the occurrence of a slightly too early burial event. 

Babe wake up, new goth gamer chair just dropped pic.twitter.com/OiMO7JbhheSeptember 7, 2022

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Lastly, I want to see this thing move. The boxed design makes for a completely enclosed chair, which is just begging to recline. A coffin shaped chair that reclines for full desk zombie mode is a dream chair almost worth dying for. Many gaming chairs can already go full horizontal mode so it doesn't seem too much to ask, especially when it just makes so much sense.

So please, gaming chair companies, stop trying to put me in the hot seat when what I really want is the long dead cold one. Ditch all that racing flair and stripes, and give us a chair full of plush entropy. It's what the people want.

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[Zotac's RTX 4090 smiles for the camera]

Images of what are purported to be production ready Zotac RTX 4090 graphics cards and boxes have appeared on Chinese social media site, Baidu. Either these images are world class photoshop fakes, or the RTX 4090 is getting very close to an official release.

Two words immediately come to mind when looking at the cards. Huge and curvy. The backplate and end of the shroud feature an unusual, almost aerodynamic looking design that will be sure to generate debate. Personally, I think it looks great. It appears to be a triple slot+ card, or effectively a four-slot card.

Though the card is very large, it appears as though the worst of the power consumption rumors didn’t come to pass. Assuming it comes with a 450W TDP, the 4090 is certainly a hungry card, but it’s the same as that of the 3090 Ti, and we know that these triple+ slot coolers are capable of keeping them cool. The Zotac has what appears to be a lot of cooling surface area, with plenty of cut outs and space for hot air to be exhausted out the side.

The power connector(s) aren’t visible. It’s likely the card uses the new PCIe 5.0 16-pin connector, likely positioned above the word GeForce on the side of the card. Will it include one? Or two? Those little cut outs don’t appear to be large enough to accommodate the minimum three 8-pin power connectors that this card would require.

Looking at the box, unfortunately the resolution is too low to make out the specs, though we have a pretty good idea of what they are already. We can see Zotac’s features though. These include the IceStorm 3.0 cooler, Spectra 2.0 RGB lighting, Dual BIOS, zero fan RPM mode and support for Zotac’s Firestorm GPU tweaking app.

(Image credit: Baidu)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to announce the RTX 40 series at a keynote address at GTC 2022 on September 20. Nvidia is teasing something called Project Beyond, and since it’s Nvidia’s GeForce social media channels, it’s certainly a consumer-oriented announcement.

Expectations are very high. Rumors of 100% performance gains are surely too optimistic, but even a 50% gain over the RTX 3090 would be a fantastic achievement, and represent one of the biggest intergenerational performance leaps we’ve seen for a GPU. The hype is real for this one folks.

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[Unreleased Meta VR headset possibly leaked after found discarded in Hotel]

It seems some of the most mysterious things happen behind closed doors in hotel rooms. These bubbles in time complete with pillow chocolates are often home to some of the wildest stories. Whether it's shady dealings, rock star parties, or finding an unreleased VR headset in a black bag in the hallway, hotels can offer up all sorts of surprises for the unsuspecting guest.

In the case of the latter, one VR enthusiast was lucky enough to stumble upon something that absolutely looks to be the unreleased Meta Quest Pro. According to Kotaku, Ramiro Cardenas came across a large black bag discarded as trash in the hotel's corridor. Before throwing it out, Cardenas checked the bag for liquids or dangerous devices, and instead found a shiny VR box.

Cardenas told Kotaku that his initial reaction was disappointment. Assuming someone had purchased a Quest and left the rubbish until he realised the boxes were a different colour. Thinking these could be the unreleased headsets, Cardenas took the boxes back to the room to film the unboxing video as Zectariuz Gaming which is also embedded at the top of this article.

The video shows off the black packaging with a Meta Quest Pro logo, which is what many had assumed the name of Oculus successor would be. Inside is the headset cradling two controllers inside, which seem to have ditched the ring design of previous Quests. 

Virtual reality

(Image credit: Valve)

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The headset itself looks a little bulbous, and will hopefully slim down for final release. Other than that, it looks like a fairly complete sample which could be very close to what we see launch later this year.

Cardenas does a fair job to not reveal any identifying qualities about the particular unit like a serial number or name during the video. He also states that he did not turn the unit on nor try it, and instead returned it to the original owner who had to identify the contents of the bag for retrieval. That's some pretty impressive willpower, but with the headset set to release in October hopefully Cardenas doesn't have too long to wait to experience the real thing. 

Unfortunately the real thing could be a bit different than what many want from virtual reality.  While it's going to remove the mandatory Facebook login, the new headset is set to focus on social presence. This sounds more like Meta's pastel nightmare metaverse than gaming, which just doesn't look feasible in its current form.

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[343 Industries founder leaves company due to family medical issue]

Bonnie Ross, the head of Halo developer 343 Industries, announced her departure from the company she founded via Twitter today. "While I had hoped to stay with Halo until we released the Winter Update," Ross wrote, "I am letting you know I will be leaving 343 and attending to a family medical issue."

Prior to 343, Ross worked on the Microsoft Game Studios (now Xbox Game Studios) side of such projects as Zoo Tycoon, Mass Effect, and Gears of War. Ross reportedly pitched the idea of an internal team to continue Halo's development after Bungie bought its independence from Microsoft, and the company she founded under Microsoft took control of the series following Halo Reach.

pic.twitter.com/dy2HAbyPaVSeptember 12, 2022

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Ross' departure doesn't appear to be related to the performance of  Halo Infinite, which saw several high-profile departures throughout its development, and was notably delayed a full year after a divisive initial showing in 2020. 343 managed to release a respectable shooter campaign with a pretty fun free to play multiplayer last fall, but has since had difficulty appeasing its player base while also delaying promised features like the co-op campaign and axing others, like split-screen multiplayer.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer took to Twitter to congratulate Ross on her work with the company and wish her well. The company hasn't announced who, if anyone, will fill Ross' former position as head of 343 Industries. 

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[The 19-year evolution of Steam]

This week marks Steam's 19th birthday, and while it might be the face of PC gaming now, it didn't shoot to success overnight. The digital storefront has changed dramatically over the years, evolving from a simple portal for Counter-Strike 1.6 to a hub where you can buy games, review them, and even participate in their development—if you're not too busy selling hats, cards, and $400 knives in the marketplace. Let's turn back the clock and look at how far the ubiquitous platform has come.

2003: The beginning 

On September 12, Steam began life as a way for Valve to control the patching process for games like Counter-Strike, as well as curb cheating and provide easier access to any content the developer produced. All was not hunky-dory, though; many gamers saw Steam as a threat to PC gaming, requiring a constant internet connection at a time when only 20 percent of American households had access to broadband internet. 

It didn't help that Steam's authentication servers struggled to cope with user demand, regularly locking players out of the games they had purchased. Add to that the slow download speeds, the clunky interface, and the frequent patching, and a lot of PC gamers were left with a sour taste in their mouths.

In the image above, Steam's narrow focus is immediately evident: The only games mentioned are Valve's own, and there is no way to purchase them from the site. The Steam client itself lacks a storefront, focusing entirely on connecting players rather than getting them spending.

2004: We all install Steam for Half-Life 2 

The release of Half-Life 2 is arguably the reason Steam is what it is today, and the game's dominance of the storefront reflects that. Valve didn't want you to forget: To play the universally-acclaimed shooter, you had to sign up for Steam, even if you bought it in a box at the store. It was a landmark moment in the transition from the old model of digital ownership—CDs and CD keys—to the new one, where game licenses are tied to online accounts.

2005: A store emerges

In 2005, Ragdoll Kung Fu and Darwinia become the first non-Valve games to hit Steam. This was big news, marking the platform's shift from being a Valve game downloader and server browser to being a proper store.

2006: The library grows

Now we see Steam really starting to take shape. The then-novel concept of digital sale events is born, hinting at future memes involving our wallets. Free demos and HD videos join the catalogue. By the end of the year, there are almost 100 games available on Steam.

2007: A platform emerges

Proper search functionality, integration of Metacritic ratings, and filters like Top Sellers and New Releases make the Steam storefront a whole lot more usable. 

Within the Steam client itself, the debut of the Steam Community platform brings with it many crucial features, including stat tracking, friends lists, community groups, and voice chat. Those features alongside the release of The Orange Box in October 2007 leave no question as to who is leading PC gaming; Valve and Steam are the center of the hobby.

2008: Quality of life features

Browse-by-genre links and a greater focus on the New Releases list make keeping track of Steam's ever-expanding catalogue slightly easier—there are over 1,000 games for sale on Steam by the end of 2008. The Spotlight feature, the image slideshow, and the large banner ad grant select games prime exposure to Steam's 20-million-strong user base. 

On the software front, the rollout of Steam Cloud makes it significantly easier to play the same game across multiple computers, providing automatic synchronization of game saves, key bindings, and configuration settings.

2009: Backlogs begin

The addition of the Under $5 and Under $10 categories reflect Steam's budding reputation as a place for big discounts, impulse buys, and building a backlog of games you'll never play.

2010: Steady growth

Discounts are now presented as percentages, making it easier to spot a bargain. The Steam Stats activity graph reminds visitors just how big Steam is getting, while the addition of Mac games marks Steam's first push to expand beyond the Windows PC market. There are now around 3,000 products for sale on Steam.

2011: Steam Workshop is introduced

Steam introduces a recommendation widget to simplify discovery and combat the 'too many games' conundrum. (Oh, to be young and naive!)

In response to an increase in account fraud, Valve deploys Steam Guard, providing two-step login protection first via email, then later through the Steam mobile app. Modders, meanwhile, rejoice over the long-awaited arrival of Steam Workshop, which allows user-created content to be distributed directly on Steam.

2012: The year everything changed

In 2012, Steam got two massive additions that foreshadowed some of the best and worst aspects of modern PC gaming.

The first big event is the launch of Steam Greenlight, which allowed Steam users to vote on which indie game projects should be allowed to release on Steam. The system came about during the rise of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites, a time when appealing to 'the wisdom of the crowd' was popular. In the end, it was a half-step that Valve wasn't happy with: In 2013, Gabe Newell called Greenlight "a bad example of an election process." Later, Valve would get rid of Greenlight and replace it with Steam Direct, opening Steam to thousands of new games and leading Valve to create controversial new content policies and algorithmic discovery tools.

The other big event of 2012, and one of the most influential events in the history of gaming, was the launch of the Steam Marketplace, which allowed players to buy and sell in-game items for real money. The Marketplace complimented the crate and key systems in Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which were early examples of loot boxes, one of the most controversial aspects of gaming in the 2010s. Use of loot boxes is declining among big publishers, but the Steam Marketplace reflected a huge fundamental change in how people and publishers think about how we pay for games and the nature of in-game items. Only six years earlier, the Oblivion "Horse Armor" DLC had been controversial, and now we were buying and selling virtual hats. Valve arguably built an NFT-like system before NFTs. (It wasn't just Valve: Diablo 3 and its auction house also launched in 2012. As for loot boxes, the concept existed well before videogames did.)

In much smaller 2012 Steam news, the growth of "DLC" sees the addition of a Downloadable Content filter to the New Releases list (even though everything on Steam is downloadable) as well as DLC and Demo labels added to the top-left corner of game thumbnails. Valve also released the first Steam mobile app, enabling chat, purchases, and remote game installation on-the-go.

2013: User reviews, Early Access, and the living room

2013 is a big year of many little additions. In advance of SteamOS, Linux support comes to Steam, taking over Mac's slot on the navigation bar and earning itself a tab on the Featured Games widget. Big Picture mode arrives, too, the harbinger of Valve's ambitions to enter the console-dominated living room. Experimentation continues with the advent of Early Access, though its initial niche appeal limits its prominence to an announcement banner and a new search category. 2013 also sees the arrival of Family Sharing, permitting users to share their games library when it's not in use. 

Another big addition is support for user reviews of games, complementing the existing Metacritic scores. It isn't long before "Steam review bombing" becomes a thing. (In 2019, Valve started showing us when a game's user review average suddenly shifts.)

User profiles also expand with an RPG-like leveling system, partly intended to stimulate community behaviour like trading items and posting reviews.

2014: The Discovery Update

2014's biggest change comes at the end of the year: The Discovery Update, which more or less introduces the design we know today. Personalized recommendations adorn the front page, from Steam's own Discovery Queue to the suggestions of popular community Curators.

Also in 2014, the introduction of the Recently Updated widget reflects the shift from games as products to games as a service. Linux concludes its short stint on the navigation bar—not surprising, given the lukewarm response to SteamOS—and the addition of Steam In-Home Streaming transforms laptops and tablets into wireless monitors for a high-end PC, and foreshadows internet game streaming services like Stadia. 

A related feature, Broadcasting, offers a built-in alternative to Twitch, allowing Steam users to watch their friends play and share their own gaming sessions. That still hasn't taken off, but the Remote Play Together system introduced several years later is pretty cool when it works.

2015: Paid mods

(Image credit: Valve)

2015 is the year that Valve and Bethesda team up to try a new idea: paid mods on the Steam Marketplace. A few days later, Valve and Bethesda decide that suddenly rolling out paid mods on the Steam Marketplace was a big mistake, and chuck the whole idea in the trash.

This year Valve also adds a hardware section to support the Steam Controller, the Steam Link, and Steam Machines. RIP to all that, but despite its failure to really start something with its living room hardware push, we're glad Valve didn't give up on physical products.

2016: Virtual reality 

(Image credit: Valve)

In 2016, Valve introduces a VR category to accommodate the release of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. We also learn more about its rules for early access games—just the fact that we're curious about them speaks to how different things are in 2016, when early access is still a controversial topic.

2017: Steam Direct is introduced

In 2017, Valve fundamentally changes the nature of Steam when it retires Greenlight and replaces it with Steam Direct, which allows anyone to submit a game to the store, no community approval required.

2018: Steam sells adult games now?

(Image credit: Dharker Studios)

With the creation of Steam Direct, Valve moved toward a vision of Steam as a laissez faire marketplace, but the system itself wasn't enough—Valve had to eradicate the idea that certain things deserve to be on Steam, while other things don't. Whether or not it went too far in that respect has been a matter of much debate.

The Steam submission guidelines Valve introduces in 2018 are extremely permissive. A few years earlier, no one would have believed you if you'd said Valve was going to start selling porn games, but that's what it does in September of 2018. Steam is now a popular source for adult games, which are permitted under Valve's two broad restrictions: nothing illegal and no "trolling." 

Valve actually does apply other restrictions that have become apparent over time—for instance, adult games can't use likenesses of real people—but it has stuck pretty close to the hands-off policy it started with in 2018. 

In 2017, Valve also pushed harder into the livestreaming space, including developer streams on game pages, and soft-launching Steam.tv—not much has come of that yet, but it could be important in the future.

2019-2022: Epic's challenge and the Steam Deck

(Image credit: Valve)

Valve's idea to make a Linux-based ark for PC gaming (just in case Microsoft ever got too greedy) has faded into the background, but it kept working on SteamOS, and little did we know that it was planning to use it for the Steam Deck, a handheld PC gaming device that put Valve back into the hardware game—we really like it.

Steam has also gotten some nice feature upgrades over the past few years, but the really big news happened off of Steam: The launch of the Epic Games Store at the end of 2018, and Epic's policy of paying advances to developers who agreed to year-long exclusivity deals that temporarily kept their games off Steam.

The Epic Games Store was a direct challenge to Valve and other game distributors: Epic CEO Tim Sweeney declared that the standard 70/30 cut was outdated and arbitrary, and that Epic was offering a fairer deal by only taking 12% of revenue from game sales, leaving 88% for the developer or publisher. 

In 2020, Gabe Newell said that "everybody benefits" from competition, and Steam tweaked its terms a little, lowering its cut for publishers that earn over $10 million. It was a barely-noticeable response to Sweeney's challenge. Today, we take for granted that some games will release on Steam a year after they come out on the Epic Games Store, but it's not clear this has dramatically affected Steam's bottom line. In recent years, Microsoft and EA both resumed releasing games on Steam, which must have helped balance out the loss of certain Ubisoft launches.

Things move fast on the internet today, and while the Epic Games Store is now fairly well-established, its threat to Steam already feels like yesterday's news. If I were Gabe, I'd be much more interested in Microsoft's PC Game Pass subscription service. Valve currently has no plan to start a subscription service of its own, but that could change as Steam enters its twenties.

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[Crafty mod adds glorious PS1 Neversoft Spider-Man to hero's latest outing]

Modder low_res_jpg over on NexusMods has put together a delightful treat for fans of Neversoft's classic PS1 (and Dreamcast and PC and N64) Spider-Man game. The new mod adds 11 low-poly classic Spidey suits in all their chunky, turn of the millennium glory.

Spidey's gotten a ton of videogame adaptations over the years, but Neversoft's 2000 entry was special⁠—and that's not just the residual magic of finding it under the tree on December 25, 2000 talking. Neversoft's game was the web slinger's first time in full 3D, brought to life on the same engine as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. It also remains a rare comic book adaptation alongside the likes of 2005's Ultimate Spider-Man⁠—even the independent setting of Insomniac's game has a real movie vibe to it.

Low_res_jpg went the whole nine yards, even mocking up a classic-style, low poly version of the 2018 game's distinctive "Advanced Suit." The model swaps correspond to pre-existing costumes as follows:

• Advanced Suit
• Classic Suit
• Symbiote Suit replacing Noir Suit
• Scarlet Spider
• Spidey Armor replacing MK2 Armor
• Spider-Man Unlimited replacing Secret War
• Ben Reilly replacing Homecoming
• Captain Universe replacing Negative Zone
• 2099
• Quick Change replacing Last Stand

Currently, they all have to be downloaded as one big pack, sharing certain files and replacing all of the outfits listed. Low_res_jpeg has stated on the forum that they plan on breaking it up in the near future, letting you pick and choose your preferred retro getup and leaving the rest untouched.

This project really takes me back, and I'm always a sucker for low poly novelty skins in real hi-fi games. Mario's N64 fit in Odyssey is a good one, and I also love the MGS1 snake costumes in Metal Gear Solids 4 and 5. Just recently, fellow Nexus user FantasyRaiderr gave the treatment to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, offering a chunky, toaster-handed Cloud to go with all the 4k textures. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go jam out to the PS1 Spider-Man's main theme.

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(Image credit: Insomniac, NexusMods user Low_res_jpg)

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(Image credit: Insomniac, NexusMods user Low_res_jpg)

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(Image credit: Insomniac, NexusMods user Low_res_jpg)

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(Image credit: Insomniac, NexusMods user Low_res_jpg)

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[Overwatch fans revolt over Blizzard's plan to lock heroes behind battle pass]

Overwatch fans are furious that one of the original game's promises will be broken in the upcoming sequel.

For a brief period of time last week—long enough for the internet to take notice—the $40 Watchpoint Pack, which includes access to Overwatch 2's season one battle pass, exclusive skins, and a heap of the game's new in-game currency, included a line that said premium battle pass owners "automatically receive access to Overwatch's latest hero Kiriko!"

Blizzard VP and commercial leader on Overwatch Jon Spector responded to the listing on Twitter, clarifying that new heroes will be on the "free track of the battle pass" and that Blizzard would share more details before the game's October 4 launch. Twitter user Dorwulf asked Spector if there would be a way to get heroes in future seasons if you missed unlocking them. Spector replied, "We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too," suggesting that if you miss a hero, they will still be available through new battle passes or other methods.

Overwatch fans have spent the last five days expressing just how much they disagree with this fundamental change to the way Blizzard has released heroes since 2016. Current and lapsed players are almost universally against the idea of the game forcing you to earn a hero before you can play them. Many people cite former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan's promise that heroes will be free in a 2015 video before the original Overwatch released. And several memes lambast the news, like this one where the two kids in the game's animated announcement short ask Tracer if they can be a hero like her, to which she says, "Eeew, no, you're too poor." 

overwatch players waiting almost 4 years for a new support hero only for her to be paywalled or a battle pass grind if you dont pay. 'frelling' incredible.September 8, 2022

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overwatch 2 https://t.co/dgzCB0XcKp pic.twitter.com/TypEi4M45tSeptember 8, 2022

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Overwatch 2 on Day 1 https://t.co/22OYHpRsDu pic.twitter.com/WGG9hOW4RsSeptember 8, 2022

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"Overwatch players waiting almost 4 years for a new support hero only for her to be paywalled or a battle pass grind if you don't pay. 'frelling' incredible," Twitter user cursedsirkai wrote.

One of the many top posts about the news on the game's subreddit is a screenshot of a Blizzard customer service email that says you can refund the Watchpoint Pack before the game's release (Overwatch 2 is free to play, but the Watchpoint Pack grants $40 worth of cosmetics, currency, and a premium battle pass). Another post from today reports the same thing with many commenters who say they've requested refunds as well.

"What I really need is a game that forces me to log in every day for some virtual points to unlock timed goods to make me more engaged!" Reddit user Kaellian complains.

Much of the response comes from a community of players that have been playing a live service game that's six years old, that came out before live service was even solidified as a business model. Overwatch's monetization hasn't changed since then: you pay for the game and get access to everything but cosmetics like skins, sprays, and voice lines—all of which have to be earned via loot boxes. And it's also a game that remains unique in the competitive shooter space. Apex Legends and Valorant might include ability-based characters that you have to earn or pay for, but they don't attempt to emulate Overwatch's team-based, sports-like battles where hero composition often matters more than individual player skill.

pov: you echo copied a hero you dont own pic.twitter.com/0adPwdd0RYSeptember 9, 2022

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Overwatch has always put an emphasis on the rock-paper-scissors interaction between its heroes where counterpicks can be the key to victory over traditional skills like aim. It's common for people to switch heroes mid-match to fix a problem and it's one of the reasons the game has worked so well as a spectator sport with the Overwatch League. The layer of strategy hero picks add to the game underlines its MOBA and fighting game inspirations: picking Widowmaker to snipe a Pharah out of the sky can cement a win and a surprise Bastion pick can derail a snowballing team.

To lock heroes away, no matter how easy it is to attain them, limits potential strategy and it suggests a significant shift in design philosophy with Overwatch 2. If heroes aren't available for everyone immediately, the guaranteed back-and-forth metagame of counter-picking is fractured.  If you're asked by a teammate to swap to a hero and can't because you haven't unlocked them yet, as many fans theorize might happen, that would feel restrictive. In MOBA terms, Overwatch is becoming more like League of Legends and less like Dota 2.

Overwatch 2's confusing status as a sequel that also replaces the original game complicates every new modern feature from other shooters that Blizzard bolts onto it. Although a battle pass with heroes might be familiar to FPS players, the decision to add it to a game that once prided itself on the things that made it unfamiliar has left its most dedicated players worried about the direction of the sequel.

Activision Blizzard's perforated public reception after the last two years and Overwatch 2's opaque development have left players with little reason to trust that decisions like this are made in the interest of players and not for profit. Blizzard will likely release details about the battle pass soon, but the massive amount of skepticism might lead it to rethink its approach.

"So, basically everyone who does not have the time to play enough to unlock heroes in time is effed, thanks," Reddit user Doppelkammertoaster wrote. "As someone else said, it's all about building the habit of playing the game, forcing it this way, not making a good game that you want to play more."

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[Nuclear flamingos and deep-fried elephants invade Fallout 4's Nuka World]

Grab the biggest shotgun you can find because there's a new reason to revisit Bethesda's final expansion for Fallout 4. The Mutant Menagerie—Nuclear Safari mod populates Nuka World with lots of new animals and creatures to hunt including giraffes, flamingos, zebras, and best of all, elephants.

Granted, these animals are all gross and mutated—the flamingos have a few extra eyes and the elephants in particular look like they'd been deep fried in orange juice—but that sort of thing tends to happen when a bunch of nukes get dropped on the world.

If it's been a while since you've played Fallout 4, Nuka World was the last expansion for the game and included a massive, raider-controlled amusement park for high-level (30 and above) characters. As for why the mod adds a bunch of new animals, it's because Nuka World also features a zoo, and these modded creatures will randomly spawn in the area as if they escaped during the war and mutated—like Fallout's ghouls, they got extremely ugly yet could live for centuries. Makes sense to me: If radiation can make hermit crabs the size of a city bus, I don't see why there can't be a few crispy elephants running around, too.

Not everything in the mod is hostile. There are some passive creatures who won't cause you trouble, like the flamingos and giraffes. Some creatures, like elephants, will only become hostile if you attack first. And there are plenty of beasts eager to kill you on sight, like several variations of rats, irradiated hyenas, and "nighthunters," which are a deadly hybrid of a mountain lion and rattlesnake. On the plus side, killing some of these horrifying creatures will provide you with resources and recipes fit for a theme park, like "bug nuggets" and nuka burgers. Yum!

Nuclear Safari is itself an expansion to the long-running Mutant Menagerie mod series, which has steadily brought new creatures and horrors to Fallout 4's map, including areas added by DLC packs like Far Harbor. You can see some of the creatures in Nuclear Safari in this video by Degenerate Dak on YouTube below, and you'll find the earlier Mutant Menagerie mods here. 

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[The Witcher S3 reportedly wraps filming, bringing us one step closer to Geralt's next adventure]

As reported by Eurogamer, it looks like filming for The Witcher season 3 has concluded. An alleged message from Geralt himself, Henry Cavill, to members of the cast and crew leaked online and has been shared by fan accounts for the show. He wishes his colleagues some "well-deserved rest," and it certainly looks like Mr. PC Gaming's signature on the stationary.

There's still a large amount of editing and effects work to go into that collected footage, naturally, and the next season does not yet have an official release date. The two-year gap between seasons one and two was partially influenced by the onset of covid-19 and its attending directorial difficulties, so time will tell if Netflix keeps to tradition⁠—meaning a likely winter 2023 release⁠—or if the company will decide to release it earlier in the year.

A synopsis for the season was shared by Netflix back in April, it reads:

"As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it. Entrusted with Ciri's magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where she hopes to discover more about the girl's untapped powers; instead, they discover they've landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line⁠—or risk losing each other forever."

It'll be interesting to see how closely the series hews to the remainder of the book series. Season one more or less adapted the short story collection The Last Wish (our recommendation for where to start on The Witcher books' reading order), but even then added a significant amount of background for Yennefer. Season two took even more liberty with the arrangement of certain plotlines⁠—I'm thinking particularly of Istredd and Geralt's meeting⁠ and Ciri's training at Kaer Morhen—and emphasized certain storylines while minimizing others. 

All of this was to the benefit of the show, I'd say, leaving it very watchable and well-paced. Geralt and Triss' whole thing at Kaer Morhen in Blood of Elves was a bit of a slog even as written word. I'm definitely looking forward to more Graham McTavish as Sigismund Dijkstra. The brutal spymaster's expanded frenemy relationship with Geralt was a highlight of The Witcher 3 for me, and McTavish has brought a suitably menacing charisma to the role.

We may know more about CD Projekt's planned follow-ups to the Witcher games by the time season 3 releases, though it will still likely be early days for development even by the winter of 2023. Barring catastrophe, we'll definitely have the next generation update for the Witcher 3⁠—I've been putting off my next playthrough for just that occasion. 

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[In the early days of EverQuest, a cheater and designer waged a secret war from a San Diego gaming store]

It's the year 2000. We've managed to avoid technical annihilation at the hands of the Y2K bug, Tina Fey and Seth Meyers are helping SNL still be funny, and somehow every mall has decided that we should all be listening to Creed (shudder). But game developer Geoffrey "GZ" Zatkin wasn't at the movie theater watching Remember the Titans—he was standing in legendary San Diego game shop Game Empire watching people play his team's brand new MMO. That game was EverQuest.

But some people weren't just playing Everquest—they were breaking it in half.

EverQuest was an experimental game in every sense of the word

Why would a developer go to a game shop to work on his game instead of staying at the studio? There were no gaming laptops. No one had wi-fi. Remote work as we know it certainly didn't exist yet.

"Our dev tools at the time were prehistoric!" laughs Zatkin today. EverQuest was the first 3D MMO ever. Resources were tight, the team was small, and they were sailing into uncharted waters without a map. With a custom-built game engine and no development time anywhere in sight to build reporting tools, if Zatkin wanted to observe players and see how his systems were working, he had to load into a GM character, cast a super invisibility spell on himself, teleport to the zone and stand around while they fought monsters.

EverQuest was an experimental game in every sense of the word, and everyone on the small team working on it wore many hats. One of the hats GZ wore was designing the magic system top to bottom. "Brad [McQuaid, producer] came by at one point and was like 'hey Geoff how many spells are we up to?' I said 450 and he just stopped. He'd been expecting like 50." So in looking for a way to observe players, using the magic system came naturally. Most of Everquest's GM powers ended up being spells that Zatkin designed.

He liked to have fun with the spells, too. A popular early website with information about EQ was Caster's Realm, run by an Australian named Greg Short. One of the site's biggest draws was a detailed list of the game's spells. They got a lot of this information by scraping beta server patch notes, which was not without some risk. "One year, right around April 1, I put up a patch to beta where I nerfed the most popular spell of every class except one, whose signature spell I buffed," GZ says. "I just put it up with no notes as a friendly reminder that what went to beta was for testing. It's the only time I've ever been called at 1am by my boss. Brad called me up and went 'the forums are on fire, what did you DO?'"

(Image credit: Game Empire)

With EverQuest blowing expectations out of the water and becoming a worldwide phenomenon (so much so that they overloaded the service provider and crashed the internet for large swathes of San Diego for a week), GZ needed a better way to understand how his players were playing. Game Empire provided just such an opportunity. With computers set up to be rented hourly and a cable connection, it was like a proto internet café. And the shop was full of Pro Tour Magic players, Warhammer 40K tournament champions, and future game developers—lots of whom were obsessed with EQ.

One of those players was David Fay. David was a Warhammer guy and former Ultima Online player who helped convince the store owner to install EverQuest on all his machines. Fay was able to transfer his skills finding the optimal army composition or Magic deck or UO crafting strategy to a new game—one with way more players.

Geoff Zatkin (left) and David Fay (right) (Image credit: Geoff Zatkin and David Fay)

At the time almost no one had a setup at home to run multiple characters at once. Computers were expensive, we still paid for internet by the hour, and the time it took to level up a character in EverQuest was preposterous. Information was scarce as well: apart from a few fansites (and an embarrassingly bad player's guide), no one knew which quests gave good experience, where to farm platinum pieces, or what your spells did until you bought them from the vendor.

All of this combined to make the game shop the perfect situation for players looking for an edge. With lots of high-skill gamers, eight (!) computers all within literal arm's reach, and the ability to actually talk with one another in meatspace (we're a couple years before Teamspeak here, let alone Discord), Fay and others like him were able to find some pretty great strategies. Strategies that, unbeknownst to them, were being watched over their shoulders by one of the guys who wrote them.

One was for a little-known quest that involved a thirsty dwarf and a liquor called Tumpy tonic. By going from the dwarf capital of Kaladim to the Ocean of Tears, you could buy some Kiola nuts from a friendly elf. Once you waited for the boat again and returned to the dwarven homestead (a round trip that took well over an hour), you could give the nut and a flask of water to the man, the myth, the legend himself—Tumpy Irontoe—and receive a flask of his tonic. Then you took that brew back to the thirsty dwarf in Freeport (another hour), handed it in, and got a bit of cash and some experience.

(Image credit: Daybreak Games)

Or you could do what David Fay did and set up a syndicate.

"I recruited all the local guild members—we had multiple master tailors making bags, six people doing port runs to go get nuts so we can avoid the boat ride, four master brewers standing at the brewing stations, and knew exactly when the guy would spawn so we could turn it all in," Fay says. To this day he's still proud of the scheme. Their operation was so successful they eventually started turning extra profits and selling fully leveled characters on eBay.

Players on every server were making beer runs across the Ocean of Tears, and the devs had gotten wise

At the time it was the wild west for digital objects: eBay and other sites hadn't started policing digital transactions yet, and developers were way behind the ball. An associate professor of economics at Cal State Fullerton wrote a paper in which he came to the conclusions that the GNP (gross national product) of EverQuest was somewhere between Russia and Bulgaria and that the EverQuest platinum piece was worth more than the Japanese yen or the Turkish lira.

Fay's operation was slick, but it didn't last long. A month or two of long days farming tonics later, word had gotten out. Players on every server were making beer runs across the Ocean of Tears, and the devs had gotten wise—in no small part due to GZ's… reconnaissance.

"GMs started showing up and nuking the quest guy!" Fay says ruefully. He changed his sleep pattern to operate while the service staff were asleep, but even that was not enough. Eventually they brought down all servers, and when they came back up an hour later the patch notes only had one line:

"The Tumpy Tonics quest has been removed."

The cat and mouse game would continue unabated for months. Binding a shadowknight in the arena in Kael and killing frost giants by deathlooping harm touches (arena death meant PvP death meant no XP loss in those days!), maxing people's combat skills by exploiting duels with charmed pets, and no shortage of other shenanigans were hotfixed by the watchful developers. 

Eventually, though, the schemer and the scheme-blocker became friends. Bonding over a shared love of Warhammer 40K, EverQuest, and other things geeky, David and Geoff started spending more time with one another. And then Fay finally learned where Zatkin worked. "I remember it was months later and Geoff invited me to a LAN party at his work. We drove over and it was at SOE," he says.

Brutal.

Fay's love of game systems stayed with him even after his EverQuest schemes dried up. When Geoff Zatkin broke off from game development 10 years later and started a data business called EEDAR with Greg Short from the fansite Caster’s Realm, he knew just who to bring on the team. "Because David was so good at dissecting things from EverQuest, he was a very easy choice for our first hire to analyze games," GZ says. EEDAR became the leading market research firm for video games and was later acquired by NPD in 2016.

Eventually David found himself on the other side of the screen. In 2017, he joined Amazon Game Studios and worked on New World as a senior game designer and product management lead up through the MMO's launch. More than 15 years after his shenanigans at Game Empire, he needed to fortify his project against the kinds of attacks he was once famous for. Using the same mindset he applied to Tumpy tonics, he worked with alpha players to find weaknesses in the game's systems and economy.

"It's taking what you know as a player, what you've seen happen, what you've done before and taking what you've learned about running a business and leading teams and merging it together," he says. A lot's changed since EverQuest's heyday, but staying ahead of players remains an impossible challenge.

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[I've been playing this lo-fi Stardew Valley soundtrack as obsessively as the game]

I'm always in search of new tunes to start my mornings with, and despite how overexposed the "thing & chill" music scene is on YouTube, a nice lo-fi remix of my favorite game tunes gets my attention every time. So of course I was delighted that an entire album of chill Stardew Valley remixes exists and I've had this stuff on repeat every morning for a full month.

The "Stardew & Chill" album ($10 on Bandcamp) is a recent release through the GameChops label, whose other remixes and lofi-ifications (especially Zelda & Chill from 2018) you've likely seen cross your YouTube recommendations. Producer Evelyn "Coffee Date" Rivera has now released four chill gaming albums with GameChops since 2019, returning this year to fill the Stardew remix album with some exceptionally soothing sounds.

Go ahead and press play on the full 15 track album right here before carrying on to read Rivera explaining her take on it.

Rivera says she started work on the album about a year ago, in the summer of 2021, with GameChops founder DJ Cutman. "Going into Stardew & Chill, we wanted the tracklist to fully encapsulate the Stardew Valley experience," she says. That meant including the recognizable main theme and at least one song from every season. 

"A lot of Stardew Valley’s music is in 3/4 waltz time (for example, 'Overture,' 'In the Deep Woods,' 'A Stillness in the Rain'), which can sometimes be a little tricky to translate to a groove that you can bob your head to," Rivera told me via email. "I really wanted to take on those songs, though, so I had the challenge of arranging them in a way that kept their feel but also meshed well with a straight 4/4 groove."

"A Stillness In The Rain," the haunting tune from a friendship event with marriage candidate Abigail, is Rivera's personal favorite on the album, she says. "The original arrangement is very simple, which meant there was a lot of room to explore creatively and expand on it in a brand-new way," she says, which included adding her own vocals.

"I think having vocals on the songs gives the songs a very personal, 'human' feel. I’ve found it’s those elements that are uniquely me—like my own voice or the instruments that I play—that really set apart Coffee Date as a project, and working on Stardew & Chill really gave me more confidence to come out of my shell as an instrumentalist and vocalist."

As Rivera explained on the album's Bandcamp page, Stardew & Chill features live recordings of every instrument in her repertoire: violin, ukulele, African kalimba, melodica, piano, and her vocals. The kalimba in particular reflects the breezy mood of Stardew.

If you've heard Stardew's original soundtrack backwards and forwards like I have, you can even replace it with the Stardew and Chill mod which swaps in the GameChops tracks. If you just like the tunes for working and chilling to like I do, here's all the other places you can listen to or download Stardew & Chill.

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[The best PC games right now]

2022 is over halfway over, and despite some notable delays, it's been a strong year for PC games. The release calendar for big budget games like Starfield has taken a beating, but there's still been a lot to celebrate in 2022: a slick port of Monster Hunter Rise, gleeful destruction engine Teardown, adorable cat platformer Stray, and, of course, Elden Ring.

This list is specifically our answer to the question "What new PC games should I play right now?" with picks pulled from the best PC games of the year, old favorites we think now is a good time to revisit, and some 2022 hidden gems. It's a reflection of what the PC Gamer team is playing right now, not a list of the all-time best games ever, although there'll be overlap. (Our highest review score of 2022 is a 95%. Very few games have scored higher than that in PC Gamer's nearly 30-year history.)

(Image credit: Paradox)

2022 games: This year's launches
Best free PC games: Freebie fest
Best laptop games: Low-specs 

For a more comprehensive list of great PC games past and present, check out our annual Top 100 list of the best games on PC. We have some fresh picks for the best Steam Deck games if you have one of Valve's handhelds on the way.

We also stay on top of the year's calendar with our guide to the new games of 2022, organized by month.

Some good news related to this list: The graphics card shortage is finally easing up, which means it's now possible to build a new gaming PC for a non-outrageous price. We have a guide to putting together an entry-level gaming PC for around $750, but going pre-built is also an option if you want to jump straight into gaming. We have some recommendations for pre-built PCs, too.

Icon key

Reference these emojis to narrow down what you're looking for in our selection of the best PC games.

• = Suitable for low-end PCs
• = Singleplayer
• = Multiplayer
• = Best with a controller
• = Free-to-play

What we're playing now

These are the games the PC Gamer team is currently playing: the up-to-the-minute (or at least, month) stuff on our Steam quick launch menus. You can see all of our recent game reviews here.

Elden Ring (90%)
Surprise, surprise: The latest fantasy gauntlet from Dark Souls creator FromSoftware is brilliant. The real treat of this enormous RPG is that it's so open-ended, you can easily start up a second or third run to carry you through the quiet summer months.

Best of the best

(Image credit: ZA/UM)

These games aren't all piping hot out of the oven, but some things get better with age. They're the cream of the crop on PC, either scoring 90%+ in a review or appearing on our list of the Top 100 PC games. If you just want a damn fine PC game from the last several years, check these out.

• Disco Elysium (92%) : Our 2019 Game of the Year and #1 best PC game for two years running. 
• Valheim : A survival sandbox that rekindled our love for chopping, mining and building with stylish, savvy streamlining.
• Total War: Warhammer 3 (90%) : A brilliant final act with the series' most inventive and unusual factions yet.
• Strange Horticulture (90%) : A beautiful and engrossing detective game packed with mysteries, puzzles, plants, and intrigue.
• Slay the Spire (92%) : The deckbuilding roguelike all others aspire to beat.
• God of War (90%) : The best game on PS4 is now one of the best games on PC.
• Monster Hunter: Rise (90%) : Arguably the greatest entry in Capcom's flagship series, and a game that simply never stops giving.
• Forza Horizon 5 (90%) : Even a marginal improvement on the best racing series around is worth celebrating.
• Chivalry 2 (91%) : A brilliant mix of high skill and low comedy, and the best medieval combat game out there.
• Wildermyth (90%) : Narrative design as genetic engineering, it will live in your head like an imaginary friend.
• Crusader Kings 3 (94%) : The king is dead, long live the king!
• Minecraft (96%) : Build anything you can imagine, as long as it's made of cubes.
• Hitman 3 (90%) : The art of assassination, polished as finely as Agent 47's head.

The best competitive multiplayer games right now

Apex Legends (93%)
One of our favorite current battle royale games. The map is fantastic, the 'ping' communication system is something every FPS should have from here on, the guns and movement are great fun (no wallrunning, but sliding down hills feels great).

Hunt: Showdown
Quietly one of the best multiplayer games you can play today. Morgan elaborated on why last year: "When enjoyed with friends, Hunt is one of those games that seems to magically manufacture special moments."

Rainbow Six Siege (90%)
Siege might lack the sharp hit detection and purity of CS:GO, but it's a more accessible and modern FPS that rewards clever timing and coordinated teamwork as much as aim. 

The best PC games by genre

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Find our selection of the best PC games just a bit too broad? Perhaps you know you're after a gripping story, or an intense racer, or the kind of sim you can spend a whole weekend playing like a second job. Our genre lists have curated recommendations for RPGs, racing, strategy, and more. Check 'em out:

• Best FPS games
• Best MMOs
• Best racing games
• Best RPGs
• Best strategy games
• Best survival games
• Best battle royale games
• Best cyberpunk games

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[US regulators say multi-billion-dollar crypto lender Celsius was operating like a ponzi scheme]

In June a multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency lender called Celsius went bankrupt, with its court filings showing a $1.2 billion black hole in its finances. Celsius was a crypto trading and loan company that at one point boasted over $5 billion in 'assets'. It was only founded in 2017 but rapidly attracted crypto traders and speculators: you could deposit crypto with Celsius with the promise of high-yield returns, or take out a cash loan secured against your crypto holdings.

Then, it spectacularly crashed and burned with well over a billion owed. Almost unbelievably the company tried to put a positive spin on the news—but given that the biggest losers were going to be 'normal' investors, the collapse attracted the attention of both the US Department of Justice and Vermont state regulators, who have begun turning over rocks in order to investigate what happened.

To put it mildly, the regulators don't like what they see. The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation has now filed against the firm in New York, and the state regulator is "especially concerned about losses suffered by retail investors; for example, middle-class, unaccredited investors who may have invested entire college funds or retirement accounts with Celsius." The Vermont state prosecutors support the DOJ's request for a legal Examiner in order to protect such interests.

I'll take you into the weeds in a moment but, of all the legalese and claims to come, here is the single most important line in the filing against Celsius: "This shows a high level of financial mismanagement and also suggests that at least at some points in time, yields to existing investors were probably being paid with the assets of new investors."

This is how a state attorney calls a Ponzi scheme a Ponzi scheme.

The regulators say that Celsius, through CEO Alex Mashinsky and via other channels, made "false and misleading claims" to investors about "the company’s financial health and its compliance with securities laws." Both of which are considered as inducements for retail investors to leave their money in Celsius.

Mashinsky was, until the bankruptcy at least, a bolshy and forward figure who was of course extremely bullish about Celsius. He frequently boasted of how the firm had the capital to back its claims and, when things were going south, continued to insist all was well.

In this context Celsius and its representatives are accused of, among other things, "representations as to the company’s ability to meet its obligations and to safeguard customer assets, when in fact Celsius lacked sufficient assets to repay its obligations at the time such statements were made."

To those of us who live in the normal world, the statements begin to get eye-watering in the sheer amount of money involved here. Celsius apparently experienced losses of "$454,074,042 between May 2 and May 12, 2022." This $450 million loss in 10 days meant depositor funds were not safe, but Mashinsky and Celsius continued to pretend they were financially healthy.

 It's getting hot in here

More serious, for the Ponzi scheme charge at least, is that state regulators say Celsius wasn't financially healthy for around two years before this. Not only had it "experienced catastrophic losses in 2021 and failed to earn sufficient revenue to support returns to Earn Account investors," but testimony from the company's ex-CFO took this even further:

"Celsius admitted, through its CFO Chris Ferraro, that the company’s insolvency started with financial losses in 2020 and through 2021, belying the claims in Celsius’s First Day' declarations that the company’s insolvency stemmed from the fall of the crypto market during spring 2022 and the related "run on the bank," and further demonstrating the falsity of Celsius’s representations to investors."

Under state and federal securities law Celsius was required to provide much more detailed information about its financial condition and risk factors. "Instead, Celsius and its management kept its massive losses, asset deficit, and deteriorating financial condition secret from investors."

Perhaps most amazingly, "Celsius also admitted at the 341 meeting that the company had never earned enough revenue to support the yields being paid to investors." This is the classic of the financial scam business: create artificial yields through new investors attracted by a scheme that gives unusually high yields. This is where the key line, the one that may ultimately damn those involved in Celsius, comes in: "at some points in time, yields to existing investors were probably being paid with the assets of new investors."

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck… it's probably a duck. The regulator made this filing in the capacity of supporting an Examiner appointment: that is, an independent legal expert who'll have the power and authority to really dig through this stuff, with no stone left unturned. These are not charges yet, but the basis on which regulators believes charges will eventually be brought. One thing does seem abundantly clear: however much heat Celsius created, its creators are going to get a whole lot more back.

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[Even Google is counting down the hours to the end of ethereum GPU mining]

This week, the second largest cryptocurrency, ethereum, is about to transition to a new mining process that will no longer rely on warehouses of energy-hogging GPUs. This process would consume 99.95% less energy than before. 

The Merge has been a long-time coming for the ethereum blockchain, so much so that Google now has a countdown leading up to the event when you search for 'ethereum merge.' The count is set for less than three days; if everything goes according to plan, this could have a seismic effect on the world of cryptocurrency mining and its environmental impact. 

The countdown displays the current difficulty, hash rate, and merge difficulty. Once the current difficulty reaches the Merge difficulty of 58750000 P, it looks like it'll happen early Thursday, assuming everything remains at this pace. 

The process involves the activation of the Bellatrix upgrade, which will move the ETH blockchain from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS). Instead of using power-hungry GPUs to verify transactions on the blockchain, it'll use consensus from those with a substantial amount of ETH, aka those with a "stake" in the network. 

(Image credit: Ethereum Merge)

Ethereum energy consumption has climbed back up over 83.80 TWh in recent months after a massive drop off in June, which digieconomist reports is comparable to the power consumption of Finland. So, that dropping down to 99.5% 

For context, the largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin's energy consumption is about 128.31 TWh which is at an all-time low for 2022, but still as much power usage as a medium-sized European country. 

What does this mean for large Ethereum mining operations? We could see a flood of second-hand GPUs hitting the market soon, which we still advise against buying. Some miners will move over to a different coin to mine, like Bitcoin, but even that would require a whole new investment in custom-made ASICs mining rigs since, making those GPUs ineffective. Bitcoin is still running on PoW and will not be moving to the more sustainable PoS. 

The Merge was supposed to happen in June after it was delayed again and again since 2019; though, as Ethereum developer Tim Beiko put it, we are definitely in "the final chapter of PoW on Ethereum."

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[I didn't expect to love Corsair's bendable OLED screen this much]

As well as being faintly terrifying to flex, Corsair's new bendy OLED gaming monitor turns out not to be the pointless MacGuffin I feared it might be. It's still going to be seriously pricey, though.

Yes, Corsair today brought down a prototype of its Xeneon Flex OLED monitor for me to play with. That's the one you can shift between a typical flat screen monitor and a curved one, as you see fit. This meant I could get hands-on with the device and see what the fuss was about. And as it turns out, there's plenty here to get excited about, and not just because of that straight-to-curved gimmick, which actually may not be that gimmicky after all.

My immediate reaction to seeing the Xeneon Flex in person was surprisingly not to grab it and start bending it to my will, but rather to gawp at its LG-made OLED panel. This thing is beautiful to look at, with gorgeous contrast and colors that really pop. There's a depth to the blacks here that make you see videos in a new light, and the likes of the latest Avatar 2 trailer look absolutely incredible. 

We've recently seen a few OLED monitors, with Alienware's 34 QD-OLED quickly becoming a new favorite gaming monitor in the office. And while the Corsair screen has a few more tricks up its sleeve, the fact it is built around such a strong panel is always going to be a powerful starting point. 

You're going to want to game on this monitor.

We've already covered the specs for Corsair's new screen, including the fact that it has a native resolution of 3440 x 1440 across its 45-inch panel, leading to a relatively low pixel density of 83ppi. That didn't feel like a particular problem in games, although I didn't use it much in Windows beyond launching games, which may have highlighted its shortcomings on this front more.

One thing that's noteworthy from playing games on it is that this is a quick panel. Quite apart from the 240Hz refresh rate, which is vaguely achievable on more modest cards thanks to that native resolution, it also boasts a 0.03ms GtG response time. You can banish motion blur once and for all, basically. Unless you decide to enable it in your game of choice that is. You monster.

@pcgamer_mag

♬ Bend Me - Marletta, Luigi

Which is all fine and well, but what of its party trick? What's it like to actually convert between a flatscreen monitor and a curved one? To start with, it's terrifying. Even watching Corsair's PR pull the sides forward flawlessly to bring about its super-tight 800R curve had me watching behind trembling fingers, and they'd done that countless times by that point. That didn't stop my brain from complaining that this was clearly wrong and an abomination though.

(Image credit: Future)

It doesn't take long to get a handle on exactly how much force to use though. The first bend is understandably worrying, but then you quickly get a feel for it and it becomes straightforward. Not exactly easy, because there's a bit of your brain saying "no, no, no, stop!" but it works. There's an audible click as you reach the full 800R bend and when you return it to flatness. The plan is to have three intermediary clicks in the shipping model as well—this here I've got my hands on is a prototype. 

You're not limited to the tightest curves by the way. If you want to have a subtler curve, more in the 1000R range, then you can. Just bring the sides in until you're happy. You can curve just one side of the screen as well, which may actually work depending on your layout. 

I'm not convinced either, but I'm sure there is someone out there that will want to.

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This does beg the question, why do you need a screen that can be curved or flat? The idea of working in photoshop, office apps, or whatever, and then going for a more immersive curve for gaming does make sense. Driving games for instance benefit from a slight wrap-around, and even Halo Infinite felt more immersive with the sides brought in. 

I'm not normally a fan of curved screens, as I play different kinds of games, and some don't benefit from being curved. Some do, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Apex Legends, while the likes of MtG Arena and Hearthstone don't care at all. The Xeneon Flex may actually provide that perfect solution to let me choose as needed. Provided the price is right of course.

There's still no official word on the pricing at this point. The Xeneon Flex won't hit the stores until the new year though, so there's still plenty of time to sort that one out, but this is one monitor I'll be keeping an eye on.

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[Disney Dreamlight Valley: How to get seaweed]

Crafting is a key tenet in Disney Dreamlight Valley, and to create items such as fiber and rope you'll need an unusual component: seaweed. As part of the quest to fix Moana's boat, you'll find some seaweed initially, but after that, it doesn't seem to spawn on the beaches. Worry not, Valley dwellers, as there is a tedious but surefire way to farm seaweed, so let me kelp you with that. 

Disney Dreamlight Valley: how to get seaweed

First things first, you'll need your fishing rod and a stack of fruit or meals to replenish your energy. You'll also want to pair up with a character who gives a fishing bonus—hopefully, you've chosen someone other than Goofy—as you'll get extra materials or fish, then head down to Dazzle Beach. It would also be a good idea to go into the Furniture screen and move Goofy's crafting table down onto the beach to save you time when you're ready to craft all that fiber. 

(Image credit: Gameloft)

What you need to do is cast your line into the water away from the bubbling circles where fish are caught. Just cast your line anywhere and wait for the prompt to start the catching process. You'll either catch lots of basic fish or seaweed, so just keep fishing and picking up the extra seaweed your companion chucks at you.

While while you work in Disney Dreamlight Valley

(Image credit: Gameloft)

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You can take seaweed to the crafting bench and make fiber from it which in turn will make rope. You'll need this for Moana, Donald Duck, and Goofy's quests, so get fishing. Seaweed makes five fiber at a time, and you need eight fiber to make rope, so you'll need to get farming asap if you want to power through these friendship quests.

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[The best PC fans in 2022]

The best PC fans will keep even the most intense gaming rig cool. PC builders often leave the fans out when considering components, but without these crucial ingredients, your GPU and CPU won't be able to perform to their full potential. In other words: cool hardware is essential for optimal gaming. They're so important we often recommend checking the fans first in the event of an issue. So don't overlook them if you're making yourself a battlestation, because things will get pretty hot.

The best PC fans will maximise cooling in your rig and they'll do it quietly. PCs with cheap fans are the bane of my existence, so I've made sure to select fans that do their job without summoning a tornado. I went through and tested each of the fans below through real-life gaming tests and everyday use cases, and have brought to you the ones with the best airflow, at the most acceptable noise levels. Acceptable is subjective, so I'll let you decide what that means exactly. 

But I'm sure we can all agree that poor airflow is bad. It'll lead to your PC operating at suboptimal temperatures, which is sure to affect the performance and durability of your machine's important parts. If you plan on overclocking, a couple of extra fans (or the best CPU coolers) will help keep everything running cooly. 

I've picked out some of the best PC fans I tested and brought them together, noting the key points that make them stand out below. Stay cool.

Best PC fans

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1. Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200

The best PC fan in 2022

Bearing type: Self-Stabilising Oil Pressure Bearing | RPM range: 400–1200 | Listed CFM: 59.2 | Listed dBA: 18.1 | RGB: No | 140mm model no.: NF-P14s Redux–1200 PWM

Inexpensive but performs great

Less ugly than the old Noctua models

No RGB

Not the quietest Noctua fan

If you care at all about case fans, chances are Noctua is a name you already know. It's a trusted favorite among many DIY builders, and for a good reason. Noctua builds fans that last a long time, move a lot of air, and do it quietly. The problem: until recently, buying Noctua fans meant committing yourself to an ugly (ed's note: beautiful) khaki-and-mud color scheme straight out of the '70s. Noctua was the definition of function-over-form, an engineering wonder that would impress any enthusiast who looked at your PC but disgust everyone else.

Noctua's Redux line rectified this issue, though, recasting time-tested designs in a modern gray-and-black look that won't detract from the rest of your PC build. And of the two Redux models Noctua sent over for testing, the NF-S12B became a quick favorite. It's not as quiet nor as efficient as another blacked-out Noctua model, the NF-S12A, but it is cheap. The NF-S12B redux balances great performance with a budget-friendly price tag and looks great in the process.

You'll find no RGB lighting here—no frills of any kind, really. But the NF-S12B's Self-Stabilising Oil Pressure Bearings will last for years while moving more air at mid-range speeds than any non-Noctua fan we tested and somehow keeping quieter than the competition as well. It's a clear winner.

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2. Corsair LL120 RGB

The top fan for RGB builds

Bearing type: Hydraulic Bearing | RPM range: 600–1500 | Listed CFM: 43.3 | Listed dBA: 24.8 | RGB: Yes, with Corsair Lighting Node Pro | 140mm model no.: LL140 RGB

Top-tier RGB lighting

Surprisingly quiet at full-speed

Slightly louder at mid-range speeds

Really not for budget builds

Do you need RGB fans? No. Do you want RGB fans? Of course. They can look great in an all-glass case or even through a traditional side window, and if you're chasing that full-cyberpunk aesthetic, then Corsair's LL120 Pro RGB fans are the best you can buy.

The LL120s are packed full of RGB LEDs. Each has a complement of LEDs shining out from the rotor, diffusing light down the blades' length as they spin. Then, a separate ring of light is embedded around the housing's outer edge. As a result, the LL120s are the brightest and showiest fans we tested and a perfect fit for any RGB addict.

They're not just for show, though. The LL120s are also solid fans, lighting or no. At mid-range speeds, we found during testing that they tend to be slightly louder than the competition, but at load, they're quieter than just about any non-Noctua fan we tested—and that's only because most of the Noctua fans top out at 1200 RPM, versus 1500 RPM for the LL120. 

The biggest problem? They're expensive. Like, incredibly expensive. To use LL120s, you need to commit to purchasing a three-pack of fans with an included Corsair Lighting Node Pro, a package that lists for $120. Additional fans will run you $35 each. That's a lot of money, even if the results are stellar.

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3. Cooler Master MF120R A-RGB

RGB fans on a budget

Bearing type: Rifle Bearing | RPM range: 650–2000 | Listed CFM: 59.0 | Listed dBA: 31.0 | RGB: Yes, either through motherboard or Cooler Master's controller | 140mm model no.: N/A

Affordable RGB lighting

Lots of airflow potential

Really, really loud at top speed

Not exactly quiet below that either

Cooler Master's RGB design is a bit less high-tech than the Corsair LL120s, featuring only fan-blade lighting instead of the second ring around the outside. It's still an attractive fan, though, bright and with smooth transitions. And while the package lists for $99, you can usually find it on sale much cheaper. Add in the fact that additional fans only cost $20 each, and you're set to save a whole lot of money on your cooling setup.

So what's the catch? They're loud. Like, really loud. Even Cooler Master admits it, listing the MF120R at 31 dBA. In our own tests, the MF120R kit was reasonably quiet at 1200 RPM but completely unusable at its maximum 2000 RPM speed, posting the loudest measurements of any fan we tested—louder than the other 2000 RPM fans we tested, the NZXT Aer RGB 2 and the Noctua NF-A12x25.

Granted, the MF120Rs move a lot of air at top speed, tying the Noctua NF-A12x25 for the highest airflow. There's no way you'd want to run them at that speed, though, at least not for typical gaming use. Still, you get a full RGB lighting setup and some pretty strong fans for a fraction of the cost of Corsair's kit. As long as you limit the MF120Rs to running at 1200 or 1500 RPM max, they might be a good alternative.

Best CPU for gaming | Best gaming laptop | Best gaming motherboards
Best SSD for gaming | Best DDR4 RAM | Best CPU coolers

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4. Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo

The best fans for radiators and cramped cases

Bearing type: Hydraulic Bearing Gen.2 | RPM range: 500–2500 | Listed CFM: 72.69 | Listed dBA: 28.1 | RGB: No | 140mm model no.: N/A

Seriously impressive airflow at max speed 

Great for upgrading your rads 

Not the quietest at full speed 

High price

In a world where the number of RGB LEDs on a fan is often the main selling point, the frill-free styling of the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo makes for a refreshing change. These aren't your average run-of-the-mill case fans. These aren't standard case fans; they're high static pressure fans—ideal for use with radiators and pushing air through grills and confined spaces. If you're looking to upgrade your CPU cooler or piecing together a bespoke system, these are the kind of fans you need. 

You can use them as straight case fans, but you're going to pay a premium to do so. At $30 a pop, these are at the higher end of the price spectrum, but the specs are at least impressive. These are PWM controlled with a maximum speed of 2,500RPM, where you're looking at 3.78mm-H2O air pressure and airflow of 72CFM. Impressive given the maximum noise level of 28.1dBA, which is noticeable without annoying; you can also run them much slower and quiet.

You can also pick these fans up in a non-Turbo guise, which means you save $5 on each one, and they top out at 2,000RPM, that's 500RPM less than we have here. They don't shift as much air as the Turbos can, but they're quieter for it, too, so the choice is yours. 

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5. Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM

Best for moving a lot of air

Bearing type: Self-Stabilising Oil Pressure Bearing – Second Generation | RPM range: 450–2000 | Listed CFM: 60.1 | Listed dBA: 22.6 | RGB: No | 140mm model no.: NF-A14 PWM

Impressively high airflow

Lots of accessories included

The styling isn't to everyone's taste

High price

Here's some good ol' Noctua khaki-and-mud for the diehards. The Noctua SF-12B above is a great fan and our overall pick, but if you're looking for a top-tier 120mm model that can move a lot of air, the awkwardly named NF-A12x25 blows away the competition. Of all the fans we tested, this model pumped the most air through our test rig.

But—and this is important—the NF-A12x25 was also the quietest fan we tested when running at lower RPM. Our numbers have it putting out less noise at 1200 RPM than some fans running 300 RPM slower. Since those mid-range speeds are generally more likely to come up in day-to-day use, the NF-A12x25 is an excellent choice for your average gaming PC while still giving it the headroom to spin up to 2000 RPM in the middle of a heatwave.

Sure, Noctua's trademark brown fans will stick out like a sore thumb in whatever PC you build, but they're also a sign of quality, and the NF-A12x25 lives up to the legacy. It's also a nice touch how many accessories come with the NF-A12x25, from a 12-inch extension cable and a Y-splitter to many rubber vibration dampers. The price is high, but it's hard to argue the value.

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6. NZXT Aer RGB 2 120mm

RGB with a subtler effect

Bearing type: Fluid Dynamic Bearing | RPM range: 500–1500 | Listed CFM: 52.4 | Listed dBA: 22.0 | RGB: Yes, with NZXT Hue 2 | 140mm model no.: Aer RGB 2 140mm

Just really pretty

Plenty of accessories included

Louder than most

Bundle pricing is confusing

NZXT makes gorgeous hardware. It's not always the most cost-effective nor the most efficient, and indeed the NZXT Aer RGB 2 won't win any prizes for its performance in our tests. At its top speed of 1500 RPM, the Aer RGB 2 moves a surprising amount of air, but it's also louder than nearly every other fan we tested. And even in our low-speed tests, the Aer RGB 2 proved a hair noisier than the rest of the competition.

Look at it, though. It's a sight to behold. Unlike Corsair, NZXT limits the Aer RGB 2's LEDs to the outer ring, casting a slight glow on the spinning fan blades without directly illuminating them—and shining a lot of light outwards into the case. It's a clean look, objectively as gaudy as any other RGB setup but seeming a bit sleeker and refined somehow. The Hue 2 controller is also more attractive than any of the other boxes we looked at, meaning you won't mind having to include it alongside the fans in your all-glass case.

Like Corsair, NZXT struggles with the price, though. A three-pack of 120mm fans plus controller lists for $130, even more than Corsair's LL120 starter kit, though other fans list for $30—$5 less than Corsair's add-ons. Weird.

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7. Scythe Kaze Flex 120 PWM

The best budget PC fans

Bearing type: Fluid Dynamic Bearing | RPM range: 300–1200 | Listed CFM: 51.2 | Listed dBA: 24.9 | RGB: No | 140mm model no.: N/A

Cable is durable

Fairly inexpensive

Feels cheaper than the rest

Relatively loud at any speed

Do it yourself

Our guide to the perfect gaming PC build. Everything you need to know to create gaming perfection.

Scythe doesn't make a great first impression, granted. The Kaze Flex 120 PWM arrives in a cheap plastic package, looking more like it came from an auto shop than a modern PC retailer. Side-by-side with Noctua's Redux packaging, or Corsair's weighty boxes, Scythe feels like a budget fan solution.

The Kaze Flex 120 PWM we tested is one of the company's better models, though. At 1200 RPM, the Kaze Flex 120 moved more air in our test rig than some of the competition (Corsair, for instance) did at 1400 or even 1600 RPM, presumably due to having eleven blades where most fans have only nine. Lots of air goes hand-in-hand with noise, though, and indeed the Kaze Flex 120 PWM is also noisier than the competition at any given speed setting—though since it tops out at 1200 RPM, the noise is never as bad as models that spin up to higher speeds.

If you want a decent budget-friendly fan and the SF-12B isn't doing it for you? Scythe's blade-heavy blower might be the right choice. And hey, one more company hasn't dipped into the RGB LED well yet. That's worth something.

Best PC fan FAQ

Do I need 120mm or 140mm PC fans?

This really depends on whether you have the space for 140mm fans inside your PC case. If you do, they're likely the best option. 140mm PC fans can move more air while running at slower RPM, which means they're as effective, if not more effective, while being much quieter. 

Though 120mm fans can have the benefit of being compact enough that you can fit in three 120mm fans in place of two 140mm fans, which will be louder but can be effective in moving air to the upper and lower reaches of your PC case.

How do I improve my PC's airflow?

Poor airflow will have a major impact on your PC's performance. There are varying opinions on fan placement and which provides the best airflow. A good place to start is to avoid a neutral pressure environment as stagnant, hot air collecting around your components won't help any PC.

Essentially, you'll want to make sure that you have fans for intake and exhaust so that the air is moving inside your PC case. Both positive and negative air pressure setups will do the job well and ensure that cool air is being pulled into your case while hot air is expelled.

How are PC fans tested?

There are a lot of case fans out there, so we had to set a few guidelines. First, we limited our tests to 120mm fans. It's not because we hate 140mm. On the contrary! 140mm fans are generally quieter and move more air, making them a great choice for any case that can handle the larger size. But 120mm is still the "default" case fan, and it's hard to compare different fan lines when you're also comparing different sizes, so we stuck to 120mm versions as a control. (We've tried to provide the model number for the 140mm version where possible.)

With that in mind, we contacted a number of the most popular case fan manufacturers and had them send over both their best-selling and their personal favorite 120mm models. Then we hacked together a miniature wind tunnel with an anemometer inside, a device that measures airflow. This helped us match airflow between different fans at different RPM and then use a decibel meter to measure relative loudness. As we said up top: You want a balance between airflow and noise. We took our decibel readings from five inches, which is closer to these fans than you'd ever be, but helped clarify what otherwise minute differences in noise level are.

We then maxed out the RPM on each fan to test a theoretical airflow limit and the accompanying noise. Chances are you'd never run most of these fans at 100 percent—that's why they're PWM fans! But if you have an older motherboard without PWM (or have a system that runs hot), you might hit this limit, and it's good to know how loud your PC could potentially get and how much air these fans hypothetically move. As for RGB lighting? Well, we have eyes for those tests.

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[Best CPU coolers in 2022]

As summer temperatures soar, securing the best CPU cooler is going to protect your machine from overheating and ensure you get the best performance out of your processor. If you plan on overclocking your machine and unlocking your CPU's untapped potential, a CPU cooler is absolutely vital.

There are two types of PC cooling options: air cooling and liquid cooling. Air coolers are the most common and often the most affordable. They involve a metal heat sink that pulls heat away from the CPU, then blows it away with a fan or directly cooling the chip itself. Liquid or water cooling circulates liquid through your system via tubing. It's generally more energy-efficient and quieter, though a custom water cooling loop will be a darn sight more effort and cost.

Full custom water cooling loops aside, we've chosen the best CPU coolers from our separate guides: the best AIO cooler for CPUs and the best CPU air cooler. So these are the best of the best. For cheaper and more straightforward, go for an air cooler, or go the AIO route if you're excited for all those extra features, even tiny screens. They tend to be more expensive, though and often require a bit more know-how. 

Each of the coolers on this list has been thoroughly tested in the PC Gamer test bench, so I can tell you which offers the most optimum CPU cooling under different workloads. If you're looking for other ways to help get rid of some hot air, you can check out our guide to the best PC fans. 

Water cooling

Best AIO cooler for CPU

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1. EK-AIO Basic 240

A step up from even the best air coolers

Socket support: Intel LGA: 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1200, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AMD AM4 compatible | Scale: 240mm | Full radiator dimensions: 275 x 120 x 27mm | Fan speeds: 550–2200RPM | Noise level: Up to 33.5dB(A)

Cooling performance nips at the heels of 360mm coolers

Good value for money

No RGB

If cooler aesthetics bother you at all, it is rather plain-looking

In the world of liquid cooling, EK is a name that needs little introduction. The EK Basic series focuses on value for money and performance. Plus, it doesn’t feature any RGB at all. If this appeals to you then the EK AIO Basic 240 is well worth a look. Its absence sure helps to keep the pricing down too.

The EK Basic 240 really stands out thanks to its build quality. It just feels hefty and well built. The included EK- Vardar fans are very good and have a wide operating speed range. It’s good to have some high-speed headroom on tap if you need it. Most of the time it stays essentially silent.

What really impresses us is the cooling performance on offer. We find it goes very close to 360mm levels of cooling capability, It does get noisy if you try to push an overclocked Rocket Lake CPU, but then pretty much every other cooler does too.

The EK-AIO basic 240 is perfect for builds with a stealthy focus or closed case builds where lighting doesn’t matter. With its build quality and high performance, it's a cooler that you can surely set and forget, out of sight, out of mind and out of earshot.

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2. Deepcool Gammaxx L240 V2

Awesome bang for buck 240mm liquid cooling

Socket support: Intel LGA20XX, LGA1366, LGA1200, 115X, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2, FM1 | Scale: 240mm | Full radiator dimensions: 280 x 120 x 27mm | Fan speeds: 500–1800RPM | Noise level: Up to 30dB(A)

Terrific value

Good cooling ability

Effectively silent at idle

Can get loud under significant CPU load

Deepcool is well known for its capable AIOs at affordable prices, and the Gammaxx L240 V2 is one of the cheaper 240mm coolers on the market. That makes it a great option for users looking to step up from air cooling into the world of AIO cooling.

The Gammaxx 240mm features basic RGB lighting on the pump head and fans. There’s a more expensive ARGB version should you really want it. Deepcool likes to talk about its ‘Anti leak technology’ which seeks to maintain an optimal pressure balance inside the loop. Which certainly can’t hurt.

The Gammaxx 240 is capable of cooling most processors, too, though like many of the chip chillers on this list it draws the line at AMD's Threadripper beasts. But it keeps the rest running with remarkably low noise levels, which is one of the main reasons we recommend it. 

At idle the L240 is effectively silent. As you’d expect, you will start to see an increase in temperatures and noise levels with high TDP processors, especially when overclocking. Our 5800X CPU with PBO enabled is about the maximum we’d consider appropriate for a 240mm cooler. Under load, the fans can and do ramp up quite a bit.

If you’re after a 240mm AIO that’s inexpensive and quiet under less demanding loads, then the Deepcool Gammaxx L240 is a great choice. Sure, it’s noise levels can get high if you push it hard, but at this price it comes highly recommended.

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(Image credit: Corsair)

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(Image credit: Corsair)

3. Corsair Hydro Series H60 V2

Liquid cooling at air cooling prices

Socket support: Intel LGA 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3 & AM2 | Scale: 120mm | Full radiator dimensions: 157 x 120 x 27mm | Fan speeds: Up to 1700RPM | Noise level: Up to 28.3dB(A)

Good performance for its small radiator size

Generally quiet operation

Very affordable

Would struggle with super high-end CPUs

The Corsair H60 has been around for some time. Over the years it's seen its tubing, fan, pump and mounting upgraded. The 120mm AIO form factor won’t suit everyone, but those who require a compact cooler to suit something like a small volume ITX build will find it can perform as well as a decent mid-range air cooler. Notably, it lacks RGB, though there is some white lighting around the head.

The H60 V2 is well suited to processors under about the 95w level. Sure, it will be beaten out by a decent tower cooler or AIO with a larger radiator, but their dimensions often rule them out of SFF builds. Heat is the enemy of an SFF system, so the H60’s ability to eject hot air outside the case will benefit the whole system. Corsair includes its SP PWM fan, which operates at speeds of between 600 RPM (at which level it really is silent) up to 1700 RPM. It becomes clearly audible at that point.

The Corsair H60 V2 is perfect for a compact system. It's affordable and should outperform most low-profile air coolers and doing so without having to resort to unreasonable noise levels. It won't suit a high core count or overclocked processor, but then you shouldn’t expect it to. With the right partnering components, it’s an easy recommendation.

Air cooling

Best CPU air coolers

(Image credit: Deepcool)

1. Deepcool AS500 Plus

A fantastic all round cooler that won't empty your wallet

Socket support: Intel 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 2011, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2 & FM1 compatible | Fans: 2x 140mm PWM | Fan speeds: 500–1200RPM | Dimensions (L x W x H): 140 x 102 x 164 mm | Noise level: Max 31.5dB(A)

Great value

Low noise levels

Efficient cooling

Build Quality

Not built for high-end overclocked CPUs

The Deepcool AS500 received worthy attention when it was released, but the AS500 Plus with its additional fan elevates it to the point where it can compete with any single tower cooler on the market. At the same time, it undercuts competitors in price. There aren't many dual fan ARGB supporting coolers at this price. Even if you spent double the money on a premium single tower cooler, your cooling performance won't be a lot better.

Its cooling ability belies its compact dimensions. Only more expensive dual tower coolers beat it, and even then, not by a whole lot. Its dual fan design no doubt helps. It’s also surprisingly quiet. Even when pushed hard the cooler doesn’t get excessively loud. Cooling and low noise levels are welcome, then add to that great build quality and subtle ARGB good looks and there’s nothing to complain about. It even comes with its own ARGB controller, and there’s a white version too if you like.

The Deepcool AS500 Plus punches above its weight (and price). It cools very well, it stays quiet, it's got great build quality, a subtle ARGB splash with its own controller and on top of all that. And, finally, it is great value relative to many dual fan single tower coolers. Short of stressing it with a heavily overclocked high-end processor, the AS500 Plus ticks all the boxes. Highly recommended. 

(Image credit: Be Quiet)

2. Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2

An affordable and effective cooler that really can be quiet

Socket support: Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1200, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AMD AM3 & AM4 compatible | Fans: 1x Pure Wings 2 120mm | Fan speeds: Up to 1500RPM | Dimensions (L x W x H): 87 x 121 x 155 mm | Noise level: Max 26.8dB(A)

Very quiet operation

Great price

Good build quality

Super basic looks

150W TDP is a touch optimistic

If the brand name didn’t already give it away, the Be Quiet Pure Rock 2 really is quiet! It’s a single tower cooler equipped with the company's highly regarded Pure Wings 2 PWM fan which carries a low 26.8dB(A) noise rating. That means it's very quiet indeed. It feels really solid too, an indicator of good build quality and it comes in at a low price.

It will cool out of sight, mind, and earshot.

We wouldn’t describe the Pure Rock 2 as the most beautiful cooler on the market. But if you do have a windowed case, you could consider the black version which is certainly more attractive than the plain aluminum finish of the base version. The Pure Rock 2 is primarily designed to cool - unseen and unheard. It's rated to cool CPUs with a 150W TDP. 

Though perhaps this is a touch optimistic, but that’s down to the CPU manufacturers and their 'real' TDPs. An Intel Core i5 12600K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X won't present a problem for the Pure Rock 2.

For anything other than high-end CPUs, the Pure Rock 2 will keep your chip cool and quiet. If you're not interested in bling and want something that's a step up from bundled coolers, the Pure Rock 2 is a fantastic choice. It will cool out of sight, mind, and earshot.

(Image credit: Noctua)

3. Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black

You'll be hard pressed to find a better performing air cooler than the Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black

Socket support: Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1200, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2 & FM1 compatible | Fans: 2x NF-A15 HS-PWM | Fan speeds: 300–1500RPM | Dimensions (L x W x H): 161 x 150 x 165mm | Noise level: Max 24.6dB(A)

Awesome cooling performance

Quiet under typical loads

Solid build quality

All black good looks

Big

Louder than you might expect under load

The Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black is considered by many to be the best air cooler on the market. We love it too, and it's an easy inclusion on our list of recommended coolers. It performs brilliantly, it's got excellent fans that are a welcome black colour instead of that rather unsightly beige and maroon (sorry, Jacob), its build quality is fantastic and Noctua's packaging, accessories and documentation are second to none. 

Really, only 360mm AIO coolers outperform it. If you want an air cooler that can handle any consumer CPU on the market, you might find one to match the Noctua flagship, but you won’t find anything that truly beats it.

Under normal operation the NH-D15 can be considered truly silent. When pushed hard it becomes louder than you might expect, such as you might get when hammering out an AVX load, but we don’t mind having some optional cooling headroom when you need it. Even a 5GHz+ Core i9 12900K will result in quiet running while gaming. 

The NH-D15 also comes with two 140mm fans, which run slower than their 120mm counterparts, for quieter operation, but move plenty of air. If two of these are too loud for you, there's always the option of removing one, if need be. If you want to remove both, however, for a truly silent CPU cooler, you'd best take a look at the Noctua NH-P1 below instead. That's actually designed to run without fans.

But why isn't the NH-15 number one on our list? It's probably overkill for a lot of PC builds, especially if you're running your chip stock. It's absolutely overkill as a straight swap for the stock cooler than comes with many Intel and AMD chips. Perhaps the sheer size of it, too, though that can easily be forgiven considering its excellent performance. 

Notably, Noctua has a long tradition of adding support for new sockets, and an investment in a NH-D15 Chromax Black means you'll have a top shelf cooler that will last you for many years. That said, make sure to check it's compatible with your socket of choice before buying one.

Passive cooling

The best passive CPU cooler

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(Image credit: Noctua)

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1. Noctua NH-P1

Shiny, powerful, and silent

Type: Passive air cooling | Compatibility: Intel LGA 1200, 115x, 2011/2066; AMD AM2-AM4 | Fan speed: NA | Noise volume: Silent | Dimensions: 158 x 154 x 152 mm | Weight: 1800g

Completely silent

Compatible with high-end CPUs

Plenty cool enough for gaming workloads

Large

Requires a case with good airflow

Silicon dreams

(Image credit: Future)

These are the current best CPUs for gaming to build your rig around.

The Noctua NH-P1 is certainly a niche CPU cooler, but it's also an exciting one in that it shakes up what a completely silent chip chiller is capable of. Previously, if you wanted a passive cooler you would either have to pair it with an underpowered processor, or you would have to seriously limit the clock speed of your chip.

From a glance, you might see nothing more than a hulking CPU cooler, but the Noctua NH-P1 is far more exciting than that. As a passive design, it requires no fan to keep your CPU at a stable temperature. Yes, even while gaming. And if you hadn't already guessed, that's a pretty big deal for silent PC builds. The NH-P1 is capable of cooling even high-end CPUs using only natural convection. That's sort of what makes it a big deal in the cooling world. It does this through a design that's vastly disparate from your usual chip chiller.

Essentially, this is a passive cooler that can actually keep a decent gaming processor powered up. We've tested the NH-P1 on our Core i7 10700K open test bench—which has no fans, and therefore completely unoptimised airflow—and while it may throttle on seriously CPU intensive benchmarks, it absolutely flew on our standard gaming tests.

It's still going to take up a whole lot of space in your chassis.

That chip is slightly over Noctua's own recommendations for the NH-P1, but you can check out its compatibility centre to see whether your CPU will be supported by this chonky chip chiller.

Sit the NH-P1 side-by-side with the NH-D15 we recommend in the best air cooler guide above, and you'll notice they're oriented differently. The heat pipes are actually longest along their horizontal axis, which will undoubtedly impact heat dispersion due to the reliance on gravity for a heat pipe to function. Noctua has also expanded the heat pipe layout to more evenly distribute the heat across the surface area, and each one is soldered to the fins to ensure a continuous connection over time between the two different metals forming the cooler: copper for the base and heat pipes and aluminum for the fins.

And yes, it is big. The RAM clearance is fine, as Noctua has engineered it to sweep away from dual-channel DIMM slots, but it's still going to take up a whole lot of space in your chassis. If you want to get the most out of it, you're also going to need some decent airflow in your case, too. Unless you're going for a completely fanless vibe, that is.

The Noctua NH-P1 is well-designed, impressively powerful passive cooler that could well keep your gaming PC quiet. Though it's not going to do anything for that noisy graphics card, I'm afraid.

Read our full Noctua NH-P1 review.

Best CPU cooler FAQ

How do I choose the CPU cooler that's right for me?

If you aren't sure whether you need an air cooler or a liquid cooler, it comes down to budget and compatibility. The first thing to check is whether a cooler supports the socket on your motherboard, and offers a sufficient mounting solution. Most coolers today are compatible with AMD's AM4 socket and Intel's latest LGA 1700 socket, and should include the prerequisite parts to install them inside the box. Some older coolers, perhaps second-hand ones, may not support the latest chips, however.

The other thing to be on the lookout for is whether a cooler is sufficient for your CPU. A certain amount of energy is wasted by your CPU as heat, and that needs to be dissipated effectively. A cooler does that, but some high-end processors require better cooling to keep temperatures low. Coolers often come with TDP ratings denoting what TDP of CPU they can sufficiently chill, but it's not always this straightforward. Some CPUs require larger contact points for adequate cooling, such as AMD's Threadripper chips, while Intel's 12th Gen CPUs often hit power draw much higher than their stated TDP.

Basically, just be careful to check out what sort of chip a CPU cooler is rated to cool, especially if you're planning on overclocking.

Those on tight budgets now don't necessarily need to consider an aftermarket air cooler. Until AMD released its Wraith coolers (and then took them away again), we'd never recommend a stock cooler to any PC gamer, but they're a good stand-in when money is tight. Still, it's best to replace these with something beefier eventually, and if you have a little more spending room, liquid coolers can offer a whole lot more—from advanced RGB lighting to intelligent software control.

Some of you may be wary about putting liquid near your expensive components, but rest assured all of the coolers recommended in this guide are backed with excellent warranties that will cover you in the event of a manufacturer failure—a colossal leakage is an infrequent occurrence, anyways.

Is liquid cooling quieter than air cooling?

In general, an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler will be quieter than an air cooler mounted directly on top of the processor itself. That's because the fans attached to the cooling radiator are generally larger and can therefore spin slower than an air cooler. The water pump is often well insulated, but there can be some noise from this part, however.

But there are large air coolers with big heatsinks and large fans that can compete well with the noise generation of an AIO liquid cooler. The Noctua NH-D15, for example, has two 140mm fans and is very quiet in operation. The quietest of all would be an entirely passive cooler, one with no moving parts whatsoever. However, those can't always cope with the most hot and heavy CPUs.

Do I need liquid cooling if I don't overclock my CPU?

Liquid cooling can undoubtedly give your processor the thermal headroom it needs to run comfortably overclocked, but there are other reasons you might want to have an AIO in your system. The vainest is the aesthetic—not having a huge hulking heatsink clogging up your chassis when there's a Perspex peephole to show off your components is often desirable.

That can also play into having a smaller chassis entirely. Liquid coolers can often give you the thermal performance to run a high-spec CPU in a small chassis where you'd only otherwise be able to fit a weaker, small form factor air cooler.

How does liquid cooling work anyway?

The coolant passes through a closed-loop via a plate that's attached to your CPU, and in combination with the attached radiator and fan, it cools the CPU. It's simple and a hundred times easier to install than an entire water-cooling loop.

How do you test CPU coolers?

Like most components, choosing the right CPU cooler depends on several variables, including performance requirements, case compatibility, budget restrictions, and aesthetics. To find the best CPU coolers, we test performance using Prime95 and a mixture of modern PC games for extensive stress testing. Our top selections were made based on thermal performance, noise, value, and overall feature sets.

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[How to get the Edgerunners jacket in Cyberpunk 2077]

The Edgerunners jacket is a fun little crossover that update 1.6 added to Cyberpunk 2077, and if you've been watching the new Netflix series, you might very well recognise it. This armor piece is styled after the jacket that David Martinez wears in the new Edgerunners anime. If you want his look, or just really like the colour yellow, you might want to grab it for yourself.

The only drawback is that you'll have to complete a little quest to earn it. That said, just like getting Nibbles, it's pretty easy to finish this one quick. So, here's how to start the Over the Edge quest in Cyberpunk 2077 and get the Edgerunners jacket for yourself. 

How to start the Over the Edge quest 

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The quest begins at Megabuilding H4 (Image credit: CD Projekt)

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You can tell the alley by the green symbol (Image credit: CD Projekt)

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After you speak to El Capitan and wait, Falco will message you (Image credit: CD Projekt)

In order to get David's Jacket, you're going to have to complete the new Over the Edge quest that was added in update 1.6. Head to Megabuilding H4 in Arroyo, in the Santo Domingo district, and look for the little side job icon on the map. This should lead you down an alley with a green symbol painted on the wall and a trash can with a brain dance in it. Use the brain dance and you'll see a brief clip from the Edgerunners series. 

The next bit is pretty simple; you've just got to text Muamar "El Capitan" Reyes, who'll tell you a little more about David Martinez and ask you to wait while they gather some info. Just skip time for a day or two and Falco will send you a message. He'll tell you that David's crew has disbanded, but that he's left you a little gift with El Capitan. 

Where to find David's Jacket 

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The jacket is found at the Badlands Dam (Image credit: CD Projekt)

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I hope you like yellow (Image credit: CD Project)

After you've spoken to Falco, you'll get a quest marker telling you to head to the Badlands Dam, where you'll find El Capitan. You don't have to speak to them, just head on over to the wall and you can grab David's Jacket from the case. It's not especially great, but it does have some good mods if you like hitting stuff. 

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