Netflix is also always adding new films to its platform, with the action-comedy The Man From Toronto the latest to drop. However, while some viewers loved the John Wick-style movie, critical opinion was mixed so it doesn’t quite land a spot on our top list. Our comprehensive guide is reserved for the best of the best to make sure you enjoy whatever you select to stream. 

So if you’re looking for the best Netflix comedies to stream right now, look no further. We’ve trawled the streaming platform to select 23 of its best side-splitting movies. And rest assured, it doesn’t matter if you’re watching in the US or the UK as all of these picks are available in both locations. Ready for some giggles? Let’s get stuck in…

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The best Netflix comedies to watch right now

Jackass 4.5

Sometimes, you feel like watching a comedy with a decent plot that’s going to draw you in, make you care for the characters, and leave your cheeks hurting and your heart all warm and fuzzy. Other times, you just want to see a bunch of grown-ups willingly put themselves into uncomfortable, often painful situations and laugh at their misfortune. Enter Jackass 4.5, which pulls together deleted scenes from Jackass Forever. Johnny Knoxville, Danger Ehren, Steve-O, Dave England, Rachel Wolfson, Zach Holmes, Chris Pontius, Jasper Dolphin, Eric Manaka, Sean ‘Poopies’ McInerney, Wee Man, and Preston Lacy all feature. 

Don’t Look Up

The starry, Oscar-nominated dark comedy Don’t Look Up sees two astronomers trying to spread the message that a giant comet is going to wipe out life on Earth. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be listening. 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence star as astronomers Randall and Kate, while Meryl Streep is President Orlean, and Jonah Hill is her son and Chief of Staff. Mark Rylance, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, and Ron Perlman co-star. Adam McKay directs. 

Inside

We haven’t included any of Netflix’s many stand-up comedy specials in this list of the best Netflix comedies, instead focussing on proper movies. However, Bo Burnham’s Inside falls into a very weird place of being both a comedy special, but also bordering on being a proper movie. 

Made and released during the Coronavirus pandemic, Inside is unlike anything else made across the same period. It starts off laugh-out-loud funny, with some great songs about white women’s Instagram profiles and Facetiming with your parents. However, it soon looks inward, with Burnham addressing depression and a growing discontent with the internet. We won’t spoil anything more, but the overall experience is a thought-provoking film.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

From the producers behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse… need we say any more? Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s fingerprints are all over this animated movie from Gravity Falls alumni Mike Rianda. The movie follows the titular family of four (plus pug), as teenage daughter Katie (Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson) prepares to leave home for film school. She’s content to fly, but dad Rick (Danny McBride) spies a chance to mend their ailing relationship by driving her, cross-country, to her dorm room, along with mum Linda (Maya Rudolph), and brother Aaron (voiced by Rianda).

While some gags will whoosh over the heads of younger audience members, but amid the apocalyptic chaos, there’s plenty that families will relate to, from dysfunctional disagreements to screen-time addiction to irritatingly perfect neighbors. Plus, there’s a genius use of a licensed product to rival anything in The Lego Movie. When it comes to The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, everyone’s a winner.

Moxie

Moxie is actor and comedian Amy Poehler’s second time in the director’s chair. The comedy-drama follows Vivian (Hadley Robinson), a shy 16-year-old, who’s fed up with the sexist and toxic status quo at her high school and decides to take inspiration from the rebellious past of her mother (Poehler). She anonymously publishes a zine that sparks a school-wide, coming-of-rage revolution as it condemns sexism and the behavior of the school’s boys. 

There are jokes aplenty, but Moxie’s also a sweet story that, while maybe not having quite the satirical bite Poehler was after, is an uplifting, modern message. The Morning Show’s Marcia Gay Harden and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Clark Gregg also star in the Netflix release.

Deidra & Laney Rob A Train

When Deidra and Laney’s mother, a frustrated box store employee, unleashes holy hell at work and winds up behind bars it’s up to Deidra to figure a way to feed them and their younger brother. The best caper comedies are born from dire situations such as these. That’s the burning idea at the heart of this warm chuckle fest from director Sydney Freeland and screenwriter Shelby Farrell. Deidra’s (Riverdale’s Ashleigh Murray) life is upended, making her typical schemes like flipping papers for cash seem humdrum in comparison. 

Her ambitious mind now free to explore more extraordinary circumstances, the plot surges forward as she opts to loop her sister into the plan to rob not just a train, but several. What makes this such a winning pic is the sharp, snappy dialogue and its commitment to placing the story in the hands of a racially-diverse cast. Part of Netflix’s more recent foray into edgier teen content, Farrell’s script drops a slew of one-liners that make this comedy both sweet and sharp.

Set It Up

Part of Netflix’s comedy refresh, Set It Up twists every typical romcom trope into something new. Zoey Deutsch and Glen Powell star as Harper and Charlie, personal assistants to two of New York’s busiest execs, played by Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs. With no social lives, due to their hectic schedules, the underpaid and overworked duo concoct a genius plan; set their bosses up with the hopes of getting some time off. 

We’re in the midst of a romantic comedy resurgence if you hadn’t noticed, and Set it Up is one of the very best to emerge. The plot may hit along similar beats – hey, that’s what you *want* from a rom-com – yet it pushes at the boundaries, and breathes some fresh air into the formula. Powell and Deutsch have ridiculous chemistry that’s easy to champion from the minute they join forces.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Part of ‘flix’s attempt to reboot the rom-com, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a refreshing, lighthearted tale that revolves around the love life of one Lara Jean Covey (Lara Condor). After her older sister moves away to college, Lara Jean’s life changes when five secret love letters she had kept hidden somehow find their way into the hands of their recipients. One of the boys, Peter, enters into a fake relationship with Lara Jean – to wind up HIS ex, and to prove Lara Jean doesn’t fancy her sister’s ex. Confused? You won’t be, but you’ll love the optimism and John Hughes-esque atmosphere.

For a high school rom-com set in 2018, it’s surprisingly light on teen tech. The kids use their cell phones (obviously), but the central conceit here revolves around a surprisingly sweet one – handwritten love letters. The rest of the movie’s charm spirals off from that notion, making this a rom-com likely to leave a lasting impression.

The Edge of Seventeen

Non-Netflix original available in US/UK

Starring Hawkeye’s Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen follows Nadine, a high school student who struggles to see eye to eye with her mother and brother, and considers her father her only ally. Things in her life take a turn for worse, though, when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her seriously annoying sibling.

Haley Lu Richardson, Hayden Szeto, Kyra Sedgwick, Blake Jenner, and Woody Harrelson also star. Kelly Fremon Craig directs.

Bad Trip

Eric André and Lil Rel Howery star in this road trip comedy, playing two best friends traveling from Florida to New York City so one of them can confess his love for his high school crush (Michaela Conlin), all the while being chased by the other’s criminal sister (Tiffany Haddish), whose car they have stolen for the trip. The movie is filmed using hidden cameras and, like André’s previous work, there’s plenty of surreal comedy and absurd situations. Prepare to be surprised by some very funny and cringe-worthy skits.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams co-star as a pair of small-town Icelandic songwriters who go by the name Fire Saga. Clamoring for the fame and glory that comes from winning the titular music competition, they wind up representing their country through an amusing early sequence that wipes out the actual Iceland team. This hammy send-up of the Eurovision Song Contest plays like an extended Saturday Night Live skit. It manages to avoid the tedium you might expect from that setup by sharing its comedy gold throughout the cast. This isn’t JUST Ferrell’s show. 

McAdams brings much merriment via her deadpan deliveries. Yet the best laughs hail from Dan Stevens, who deftly steals the entire movie as ostentatious Russian Alexander Lemtov, keen to sabotage and save the Fire Saga duo. This spoof is ridiculous, runs long, and is responsible for far too many memes yet you’ll be laughing along merrily and thoroughly warmed by the love story at its centre. 

Always Be My Maybe

A trio of Asian American talent from Fresh Off The Boat join forces for a thoroughly refreshing love story. Ali Wong and Randall Park, who wrote and appeared in the aforementioned show respectively, co-star as childhood sweethearts who reconvene 15 years later under drastically different circumstances. The fact it’s also directed by Nahnatchka Khan, Fresh’s showrunner, is what shapes this Netflix Original into a feature that’s far better than you’d expect. 

Always Be My Maybe skirts barfy saccharine territory despite the homeliness of its story. Wong’s character, Sasha, has struck it big as a successful chef who returns home to San Francisco to help open a new restaurant while Park’s Marcus has barely moved on at all. Despite the gap in their living circumstances, the pair rekindle their relationship, and comedy hijinks ensue. The warmth of the setup hails from the deeply-explored subtleties between Sasha’s Vietnamese upbringing and Marcus’ Korean-American family (it was his mother who taught Sasha to cook, after all). Throw in a dynamite A-list cameo, truly awful rapping from Marcus’ musical troupe, and Wong on top form, there’s plenty here to enjoy.

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Someone Great

Someone Great sounds like a sentimental romantic comedy you’ve seen countless times before. Heck, even the promo and marketing materials paint it as such. But despite its vague title it’s a sweet and funny farewell, as three friends spend one last day together in New York City. Eager to shed her Jane the Virgin persona, Gina Rodriguez snags the meatiest role as Jenny, a music journalist whose 9-year relationship with Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) ends the night before she leaves for a Rolling Stone job in California.

This prompts her two besties (DeWanda Wise and Brittany Snow) to blow off their workdays to help her source tickets for a must-see show before she departs. Thankfully, the film flits to and from the love story, instead of focusing mostly on the friendships The Someone Great of the title turns out to be the friends that help her through the hardest time in her life and the person that Jenny never believes herself to be when she’s beholden to Nate. Although the movie shines when Jenny’s off-screen and Wise and Snow’s hijinks take centre stage.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Non-Netflix original available in US/UK

Having recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, Life of Brian still stands as one of the funniest films ever made. To prove that Holy Grail wasn’t a fluke, and eager to craft a winning follow-up, the Monty Python crew got together and gave us Life of Brian. Another period film, another set of ridiculous circumstances blended together to be as offensive as possible. This time, the focus is on a young Jewish man named Brian, who, through an unfortunate mixup, is heralded as being the Messiah. But he’s not. He’s a very naughty boy.

Razor-sharp dialogue, witty one-liners, daft slapstick scenarios; there isn’t a type of comedy that Life of Brian doesn’t wrangle into its story. This is a classic comedy which will no doubt still be topping ‘best of’ lists in another forty years.

Werewolves Within

Non-Netflix original available in UK

After proving his horror-comedy chops with 2020’s Scare Me, which starred himself, Chris Redd, and The Boys’ Aya Cash, filmmaker Josh Ruben released Werewolves Within last year – and it’s just as much of a hoot. Or should we say howl?

Featuring the likes of Harvey Guillen (What We Do In the Shadows), Anni Krueger, Milana Vayntrub, Cheyenne Jackson, and Sam Richardson, it follows forest ranger Finn, whose first few days working in a sleepy mountain town quickly become a nightmare when he and the other residents discover that a vicious creature is terrorizing the community. Due to a nasty snowstorm, hey can’t escape, or call for help… will they survive?

Dolemite Is My Name

Launching his career with raunchy standup, Eddie Murphy’s subsequent dive into family-friendly comedies didn’t exactly leave his hardcore fans pleased. When might we see the return of his no-holds-barred former self? His comeback movie, the Netflix Original Dolemite is My Name, is a damn fine start. While it might not pack quite the same R-rated punch as Raw it’s not supposed to. 

Murphy stars as Rudy Ray Moore, an entertainer desperate to strike it rich. His humble musical beginnings soon make way for his foray into the movie business, where he charts his own path as blaxploitation icon, Dolemite. In the title role, Murphy excels, stealing every scene he’s in, proving that he’s got dramatic and comedy chops. His supporting cast, including Wesley Snipes, Tituss Burgess, Craig Robinson, and Keegan-Michael Key absolutely slay. 

The Fundamentals of Caring

Based on the novel by Jonathan Evison, this buddy road trip movie walks the line between poignant drama and sharp, observational comedy perfectly. Paul Rudd stars as Ben, a failed writer who takes a wholly different approach to life after the tragic death of his son. He adopts a new livelihood as a caregiver which leads him to meet the brusque Trevor (Craig Roberts), a teen with muscular dystrophy who asks his new caregiver a simple request: to take him on a road trip. 

The duo hit the road after convincing Trevor’s mom (the brilliant, and sadly underused, Jennifer Ehle) to let them visit “The World’s Deepest Pit”. Their jaunt is of course not about the destination. It’s about the gags – and revelations – they make along the way, many of which revolve around Ben having to help Trevor pee. Selena Gomez’s achingly-hip Dot jumps in on the action, with cheeky throwaway lines oozing crush-worthy cool, giving this fun, heart-warming comedy a little added bite.

Carrie Pilby

Non-Netflix original available in US/UK

Bel Powley continues her streak of compelling performances in this criminally-underseen New York City dramedy from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before director Susan Johnson. As the precocious Carrie, who graduated Harvard at the tender age of 19 and towers over those twice her age, Powley is, understandably, a tad bratty. Somehow her own preternatural thesp skills temper Carrie’s precociousness. While she echoes Woody Allen’s nervous Manhattanite nerds, she’s a wholly likable protagonist, a book smart woman who places her own value ahead of those in her orbit. 

The movie opens with Carrie’s therapist suggesting that she craft a five-point plan. With no friends, no partner, and few interests, the goal is for her to integrate people back into her life. So begins her journey to open herself up to a world she believes herself superior to, which, understandably yields rather amusing results. 

The Forty-Year-Old Version

Radha Blank’s own life is the inspiration for her directorial debut, The Forty Year-Old Version. She plays Radha, a woman whose biggest creative accomplishments lie nearly a decade in her past. Initially reluctant to change, she eventually snaps and decides she can’t trudge through more of the same. Emboldened, she hits up a local beat boy to support her rapping aspirations, while seeking a theatrical home for her new play. 

Movies about the creative process can feel a little inside baseball at times, yet, Blank’s debut is more inclusive. Uproariously hilarious without being alienating, the concept of trying to making it against all odds is a universal one Blank handles with aplomb. The Forty-Year Old Version is an authentic and painfully-funny dive into how we handle dissatisfaction later in life, and the endless rewards that can bring if we’re willing to be brave and change our circumstances. 

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The Lovebirds

One of 2020’s first big post-lockdown successes, The Lovebirds sees Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play two lovebirds who are anything but. Their relationship is on the rocks and their breakup plans are interrupted by a car crash that spirals into a world of conspiracies and criminals. It’s a comedy, honest.

Following on from that climatic incident, The Lovebirds becomes pure farce, flitting between hilarious set-piece after hilarious set-piece, each designed to make you cringe and wince. 

The Eternals fans could also do a lot worse than seeking out the film. With Marvel’s cosmic caper likely to flex Nanjiani’s dramatic (and very real) muscles, this is the perfect starting point for those looking to see what he has to offer.

The Lovebirds, like so many rom-coms, revels in the chemistry between the two leads as their situation slips further and further out of their control. No spoilers here, but let’s just say you won’t see a certain form of torture coming. It also cements Nanjiani as one of the most interesting and necessary actors when it comes to modern-day relationships. A perfect double bill with The Big Sick, if you ask us. One of the best Netflix comedies you can really laugh along with.

The Prom

One of Ryan Murphy’s many, many projects over the last few years at Netflix, The Prom is a Golden Globes-nominated, star-studded musical extravaganza that combines the talents of Hollywood leading lights such as Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman in a comedy designed to bring a smile to your face.

Streep is joined by James Corden as a pair of Broadway stars fallen on hard times, perked up by a plan co-concocted by Kidman’s Angie and unemployed actor Trent (Andrew Rannells) that sees the foursome attempt to revive a schoolgirl’s prom night with her girlfriend.

What follows is a glitzy, cheesier-than-cheese romp filled with showtunes and all the trimmings of a big stage musical. The sort of scale and scope for something so niche is a Netflix hallmark at this point – and Ryan Murphy makes the most of the bigger budget with a series of showstoppers. At its heart, it’s ultimately a LGBTQ+ movie that brims with optimism and a sense of belonging. It may have divided critics, but you’ll be singing and dancing by the time the credits have rolled.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Coen brothers bring their unique style to a series of short tales told throughout the Old West. Over the course of six stories, the American frontier serves as a backdrop for a range of characters to come to the fore, to reveal their own truths about life in the American West. Sharpshooters, bank robbers, prospectors, and more lay bare their lives in these wildly different stories. 

Coen fans tend to vary wildly on which is their favourite movie from the duo – and that’s why Buster Scruggs is a winner. It steals from across their career, snagging bits and pieces from their entire repertoire, linking together the six-part anthology flick through their signature style of black comedy and compelling drama. And the cast? To die for.

The Incredible Jessica James

Another stand-out Netflix Original comedy that embraces the cliches and makes them palatable thanks in large part to its spot-on casting. Jessica Williams stars as Jessica James, a twenty-something New Yorker reeling from her split with Damon (Lakeith Stanfield, who, yes, is playing another ex-boyfriend). The movie opens as she launches back into dating, her scathing, take-no-prisoners schtick an apparent turn off from the get-go. 

Enter Boone. Chris O’Dowd trots out his loveable Bridesmaids persona again as a fellow recent dumpee who immediately hits it off with Jessica. The fun explored between this pair is the shared heartache they each experience, that’s a neat story trick that works to unite them. Williams and O’Dowd’s chemistry is terrific, and their humour infectious.

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The post Best Netflix comedies: 23 funny movies to stream right now appeared first on Game News.

The quality of the PS5 launch games that arrived with the console back in November 2020 definitely helped kick off the best PS5 games list with aplomb, and has been brilliantly aided by the quality of the PS5 exclusives released so far. 

While finding any PS5 stock is still quite the challenge, this collection will do nothing apart from make you more focused to get your hands on one. Whether you want a shot of pure, extra-strength joy from Sackboy: A Big Adventure, a demon challenge from Demon’s Souls, or to feel like a hero in Spider-Man: Miles Morales you’ll find all that and more on this list of the very best PS5 games that are out now, including a good selection of the PS5 launch games. 

15. Demon’s Souls

Dying horribly at the hands of a soulless monster has never looked so good. The 2009 cult classic, Demon’s Souls, has been completely remade for the 4K age, and is one of the best looking games on the new PS5. The motion capture, textures, and audio might all be new, but the hardcore action is utterly faithful to the original, offering the same brutal learning curve and sense of monumental achievement with every victory. FromSoftware’s original formula has been respected, but there are some new tweaks too, new items, armor and weapons to covet, a change to the amount of healing grass you can carry, and new consumable Grains that offer buffs as you adventure. Whether you’re a veteran warrior or visiting the land of Boletaria for the first time, there’s something special to discover in this iconic adventure.

14. Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a magical little adventure that’s sure to be a hit with anyone who loves a good platformer with layered combat elements and has a penchant for anything even vaguely adorable. You play as the titular Kena, a spirit guide who has arrived at a village to help those trapped there. You’ll be aided by some of the spirits themselves, but also by the soot sprite-esque Rot, who are not only some of the cutest game companions ever but also incredibly useful for solving puzzles and pulling off some killer moves in battle.  

13. Astro’s Playroom

Diving into this little toy box of technical wizardry is a no brainer, it comes installed on your PS5 for free. Don’t discount it just because it’s free though, as well as being a great way to get to know the DualSense’s new adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, it’s a charming game in its own right. Pilot a glider, climb like a monkey, shoot ball guns in space, fight monsters and find collectibles, and enjoy some cheeky nods to PlayStation history along the way. Explore and you’ll find artefacts like UMDs and the original PlayStation, puzzle pieces, and collect coins to have fun with a gachapon machine. It’s a great showcase for the machine’s new technical highlights, and gives you something to do while the next game on your play list downloads.  

12. Death’s Door

Death’s Door is a wonderful blend of elements from games like The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, and the entire Metroidvania genre. You play as a soul-reaping crow, who is tasked with gathering some of the hardest to reap souls to date. Thus, you’ll have to navigate an isometric world filled with beautiful, bizarre creatures and landscapes. With boss encounters that will hex you and stay with you, this is not one to be missed. The graphics are incredible too, with a lovely touch of Studio Ghibli to its design and characters.

11. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

We didn’t think it was possible for Eidos Montreal to do its own take on the infamous Marvel space pirates, but with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy it has done just that. You play as Star-Lord, who is leading an early version of the Guardians, just a few years into the crew’s life together. In this version, they’ve all just survived an intergalactic war, with Groot, Rocket, Gamora, and Draxx all coming with their own tales of loss and woe, with almost alt-history backstories. At its heart, this single-player adventure is about learning to operate as a team, both in exploration and combat, and realising that friends can be just as close as family. 

10. Hitman 3 

The final entry in this arc of the Hitman story, Agent 47 is the most inventive in the series to date, where anything and everything can be used in your assassination mission. It’s hugely entertaining, with excellent level design, and locales that’ll take you from Dubai to the UK’s Dartmoor in one massive, murderous adventure. 

9. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla 

The historical murder series is back with a bang with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, putting your in the fur-lined shoes of Viking clan leader Eivor. Build a new settlement in ye olde England, bring down kings to forge alliances, and travel with your longship crew to plunder the towns and monasteries of Mercia. This will stand as one of the great entries in the Assassin’s Creed series, thanks to complicated hero Eivor, the brutal combat, and the wealth of customisation options that cover everything from your fighting style to your face tattoo. There’s rarely been a better match for the universe’s lore than the Viking legends either, so you can expect some very interesting tangents as you explore the mysteries of Anglo Saxon England, try to appease the pagan gods, and go on special dream quests. There’s a reason the world has been obsessed with Vikings since they first went pillaging, and Valhalla only makes us love them more.  

8. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut

The PS5 release of the Ghost of Tsushima is well worth diving into, even if you’ve played it through on PS4. The PS5 version upgrades the game to offer 4K graphics running at 60fps, wonderful DualSense features, and 3D Audio support. The Director’s Cut itself, adds the new Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island expansion, which is a fantastic new side-story set in an entirely fresh location. You’ll learn more about hero Jin, meet new friends (and foes), and be able to engage with some new side content – including adorable critters. It’s quickly solidified itself as one of the best PS5 games. 

7. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

A perfect platformer packed with delights and surprises, and absolutely stuffed with charm. In Sackboy: A Big Adventure our titular hero visits different planets – think themes like jungle or the sea floor – to foil the plans of the evil Vex (voiced by Richard E Grant) and has lots of fun along the way. As well as looking like a party in a craft store the game is packed with ingenious level design, giving you sticky feet so you can walk up walls, levels that move in time to music, and fun tools like boomerangs and grappling hooks. As a bonus you can collect bells in the game to buy new outfits for your Sackboy, from cute tigers to mix and match punk witch mountaineers. There’s no part of this game that hasn’t been built with buckets of love and a cheery smile, and it shows in every secret corner, ingenious enemy and piece of fluff. Whether you’re getting it for your child, or your inner child, it’ll make your day.  

6. Returnal

Returnal certainly won’t be a game for everyone, but there’s no denying how well it demonstrates the technological and graphical capabilities of the PS5. This challenging roguelike looks – and feels – absolutely fantastic. Between the haptic feedback bringing the rain of Atropos to your very fingertips through the controller, or the visual splendor of neon against a monotone world, it’s all utterly gorgeous – if a little bleak at times. Like other roguelikes, the moment you die in Returnal, the loop begins again, with our heroine Selene trying to figure out exactly what’s going down on this alien planet. Gain new upgrades, discover new weapons and alien tech, and work your way through the various biomes to reveal some of the truths behind the loops. 

5. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is one of those games where if you’re in, you’re in. This is the best game coming out of FromSoftware since the original Dark Souls, taking its particular brand of gameplay to an open world for the first time. It refines, it evolves, and it tweaks the formula to make sure that suffering in its very specific masochistic style has never been much fun. 

4. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is right near the top of our best PS5 games for two reasons. Not only is it the best Ratchet and Clank adventure yet, with our heroic duo taking us on an utterly memorable journey with some new friends, but it is also a powerful demonstration of what the PS5 can do. Doctor Nefarious has been at it again, stealing the Dimensionator and ripping holes between dimensions. Ratchet and Clank are split up, flung across the universe through time and space, and enlist the help of fellow Lombax, Rivet, to help stitch the universe back together. Flying through time rifts is utterly seamless, with not a loading screen in sight, and the haptic feedback on the DualSense, along with those adaptive triggers, are used brilliantly. Ratchet and Clank has never looked, played, or been better.

3. Deathloop

Arkane’s latest is another triumph, with Deathloop offering up a murderous puzzle box for players to break open and figure out. Launching as a timed PS5 exclusive, Deathloop is one of those rare games that surprises you, playing out nothing like any of us expected. Lose yourself trying to figure out the mystery of how to kill eight targets in a single day, where all move around the world of Black Reef living their lives – and rudely not just staying put so you can kill them. The more you play and experience the loop, the more you learn, and the more you understand about this strange little time-looping world.  

2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

The next generation of Spider-Man, both technically and narratively, is packed with comic book adventure, heart and soul, and plenty of that oh so satisfying swinging through New York. As the attention switches from Peter Parker to Miles Morales, so does the action, with focus moving to his home turf of Harlem, and a whole new set of teen turned superhero problems. Miles has some new powers this time around, like the bioelectric venom, and the haptic feedback of the DualSense makes them even more satisfying to dish out to criminals and ne’er-do-wells. Spider-Man: Miles Morales manages the tricky task of delivering a story that Venom punches you right in the heart, but is also a place that you want to escape to after a long day in the real world. Thanks mainly to Miles’ charm, and that sweet swinging, Spider-Man: Miles Morales pulls it off so well you’ll wish Peter Parker a happy retirement without even a tear in your eye. 

1. Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West is such a confident sequel. It’s not reinventing the wheel – it’s another game about saving a world filled with giant robot dinosaurs – but it doesn’t have to. Aloy’s story is just as compelling as the first game, but with more human elements, interesting new character additions, and tonnes more personality than before. It’s got some of the best side quests in the gaming space right now too, and yes, even more robo-saurs. Plus, it’s an absolutely stunning showcase of the power of PS5. 

The post Best PS5 games to play right now appeared first on Game News.

Most popular doesn’t always mean the greatest – sorry, The Interceptor – but whether you’re in the mood for neon-soaked, close-combat (Kate), a star-studded cowboy romp (The Harder They Fall), or an actioner that trades blood for banter (Red Notice), there’s bound to be something in our roundup that tickles your fancy.

Everything mentioned is available in both the US and the UK, so you can get your adrenaline fix whichever side of the pond you’re on. So, without further ado, scroll on to find the very best action movies streaming on Netflix now – and for more watching recommendations, check out our lists on The best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies. 

The best Netflix action movies out now

RRR

Are you ready for one of the wildest movies you’ve ever seen? RRR is a masterpiece in Indian cinema. Directed by S. S. Rajamouli, the Telugu-language movie takes place in the 1920s and centers on two revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.), in their explosive challenge of the British Raj. It’s lengthy at 182 minutes, but doesn’t waste a second, cramming in everything from fiery bow and arrow battles and motorcycle chases to men fighting alongside bloodied tigers. If none of that tickles your fancy, firstly, what more do you want? Secondly, fear not, it also features a romantic subplot, a sweet bromance, and a couple of musical numbers, too. No surprise it made huge amounts of money at the box office.

The Harder They Fall

Trumpeted by Netflix as a ‘new-school western’, The Harder They Fall in fact takes the staples of old-school westerns (bandits, bank jobs, train robberies, rowdy taverns, shootouts) but blends them all together in a manner that feels fresh and vibrant. Towns populated by Black people are painted in vivid hues, while an all-white town is literally that – stores built with pale wood and streets coated with sawdust shavings like snowflakes. Director Jeymes Samuel is a stylist, given to arresting compositions and whizz-bang set-pieces, but he isn’t afraid to let his magnificent actors simply lock eyes and jaw.

Red Notice

Early in Netflix’s globe-trotting romp Red Notice, a priceless artifact is revealed to be a clever fake by the application of a fizzy drink. You won’t need sugary beverages to catch writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber’s comedy-thriller out, because it’s exactly what it seems to be: a starry and undemanding caper, with Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot sticking like fingerprints to character type. 

Reynolds plays master art thief Nolan Booth, whom we first encounter pursued by Johnson’s FBI profiler John Hartley for stealing said artifact. Various twists, turns, surprise incarcerations, and quips about Johnson’s physique later, Booth and Hartley reluctantly unite to best the Bishop (Gadot), the super-thief who routinely outwits them. Will these relative rookies-in-crime manage to make their moves before the Bishop calls checkmate?

Army of Thieves

Set six years before zombie heist movie Army of the Dead, Army of Thieves focusses on the nervous Ludwig Dieter, played by Matthias Schweighöfer, who also directs the movie. We’re in the early days of the zombie outbreak and Ludwig is just starting his safecracking days when he’s hired by a mysterious woman to carry out a heist with a ragtag bunch of aspiring thieves. The cast also includes Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel and British comedian Guz Khan, while Zack Snyder executive produces. This one’s a fun flick that’s essentially part-Fast and Furious, part-comedy actioner that will sate any fans of Army of the Dead.

Kate

Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives John Wick a run for his money in Kate, Netflix’s action thriller. Joined by Woody Harrelson and Game of Thrones’ Michiel Huisman, Winstead plays the titular role, an assassin who finds out she only has 24 hours to live after being poisoned. She decides to spend her last moments going on a manhunt through Tokyo and befriends the daughter (Miku Martineau) of a past target in the process. Ignore the naysayers who say this one’s simply another knock-off of Keanu Reeves’ action franchise – Kate strikes out on her own, making for an engaging romp that’s well worth a watch.

Army of the Dead

Zack Snyder’s latest offering is an action-packed zombie heist movie that sees a group of mercenaries venture into an undead-ridden Las Vegas to crack a near impenetrable safe, with the promise of a huge reward. The problem is, Vegas is set to be nuked in just hours – and if that wasn’t enough to get the adrenaline pumping, a lot of the zombies the crew encounter are faster, stronger, and smarter than you’ve seen before. Expect plenty of dead vs. living showdowns. The cast includes Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Matthias Schweighöfer, Omari Hardwick, and Tig Notaro. 

The Old Guard

Charlize Theron headlines this popular graphic novel adaptation, a glorious mash of fight sequences and fantasy lore that plays the part of a modern-day actioner. The Old Guard follows a band of do-gooding mercenaries, led by Theron’s Andy, who also happen to be immortal. Through the ages, they’ve managed to keep their heads down and dispense with vigilante justice undetected, but the advent of technology soon makes that impossible.

Not content to rely solely on its cool “unstoppable warriors” schtick – that’s unveiled in an early show-stopping sequence – the movie kicks serious ass on every front. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood showcases her flair for marrying together a tight story with likable characters. Oh, and it’s got a romance for the ages, too.

The Lovebirds

A brisk, laugh-packed buddy comedy set over the course of one night. Nope, we’re not talking your standard ‘80s male-fronted pics. The Lovebirds takes that concept and splices it with the remnants of a fairy tale love story, opening on a couple, Jibran and Leilani, on their way to a party that they never reach because they fight in the car and decide to break-up. It’s tense, not particularly fun, and all feels a little grim. Until Jibran accidentally hits a cyclist who refuses their help. 

Things spiral from that point, sending the duo into harm’s way repeatedly over the evening. They encounter a host of crooks who want to kill them, naturally making them work together as a team to survive their ordeal. It’s hardly reinventing the wheel, but that’s down to the comedic chops of Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae as the couple who deliver both gags and surprisingly solid beatdowns throughout.

Wheelman

You might know him as Crossbones from the MCU, or as that guy from The Purge movies. Here Frank Grillo plays a getaway driver – aka the wheelman of the title – thrown into an unfortunate set of circumstances when a heist goes wrong. With a car full of cash and no idea who framed him, it’s up to him to figure out what happened, even though he’s no idea who he can trust. 

Dubbed a thriller and a neo-noir, with flashes of melodrama, you can safely call it all of those things. By the time the end rolls around, there’s no doubting this is a balls-to-the-wall actioner. And really, who doesn’t like a good car chase movie? Even when they’re bad they’re still a blast. Luckily, Wheelman is an excellent experiment in blending thrills and action, with a brisk running time that will make it speed by. 

The Siege of Jadotville

The Siege of Jadotville is inspired by the experiences of the 157-strong Irish Army during their 1961 UN peacekeeping mission in Congo. It’s hard to believe that Jamie Dornan, he of Fifty Shades, can deliver on the dramatic action front but he’s at the top of his game as Commandant Pat Quinlan in this Netflix Original. He leads his 150 men into battle with a world-weariness that seems baked-in, taking them on a life-changing mission to hold steady a fort from 3,000 Congolese troops.

Part of director Richie Smyth’s plan to toughen up his actors before shooting was to ensure that their experiences felt real. He made all of them attend a soldier training camp… and boy, does it show. That’s how you bring a layer of emotional truth to a movie like this. 

The Night Comes For Us 

Fancy watching something that will make your soul shake? Give this a go. It’s a blistering actioner that seldom takes its foot off the gas. Keeping the story simple works as an anchor, a way to let the action run riot, which you want with a star like The Raid’s Iko Uwais in charge. Here he plays a triad thug called Ito, who at the last minute turns on his fellow enforcers, when he spies a young girl in the village they’re currently slaying. Choosing to save her life, and waste his comrades, Ito must do whatever it takes to protect the child. 

Cinema’s gone pretty far in terms of what’s deemed, well, acceptable, pushing the limits of good taste to the extreme. The Night Comes For Us charges down that route, somehow extending previous ideas on over the top violence and relentless barrage of gore. You will not see another action movie like it this year.

Da 5 Bloods

Not a classic action movie, but features enough war-torn action to certainly find itself on this list. Da 5 Bloods is directed by Spike Lee and tells the story of four US veterans (played by Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Norm Lewis) returning to Vietnam to locate and repatriate the remains of their squad leader (played by Chadwick Boseman). 

There’s also the little matter of finding a trunk of gold bullion they buried during the war – it was intended to pay locals for their help against the Viet Cong, but when it went down with a CIA plane, our heroes took it for themselves. This is a frequently fierce, fascinating picture, and that’s why it’s classed here as one of the best Netflix action movies available now.

The Wandering Earth

Watching Chinese box-office smash The Wandering Earth, it seems as if its screenwriter mainlined every ‘90s Hollywood disaster movie then promptly declared “Hold all the beers in the world.” The sweaty-browed machismo of American popcorn entertainment is nothing compared to what’s being dubbed China’s first proper sci-fi blockbuster. The story somehow surpasses them all. 

Earth is in dire straits as the sun is on the cusp of dying out, making life on the planet uninhabitable. Scientists pepper the Earth’s surface with 10,000 rocket thrusters, enabling Earth to be directed to a new star system…  as long as they also avoid pesky Jupiter’s gravity. It’s ambitious-as-hell yet director Frank Gwo and his team somehow juggle the superb ensemble cast along with a series of showy visuals for an at-times arresting disaster actioner. 

Code 8

We’re in a post-MCU world now where the superhero schtick is no longer counterculture. As a result, we’re now getting more fun, straight-to-streaming pics like Code 8, set in a world where roughly 4% of the population is born with abilities. Alas, this circumstance is sadly not met with excitement by the majority of citizens who cower away from “Powers”, including Connor (Robbie Amell), a twentysomething labourer struggling to pay for his mother’s medical bills. He harnesses his electrokinetic powers and joins forces with a criminal gang, in order to raise the cash. 

Arrowverse heroes and real-life cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell co-star, after having raised the financing for the film through Kickstarter. It’s their on-screen dynamic that truly sells it, with the older Amell playing the thuggish crook who enlists Connor. Writer-director Jeff Chan hardly has the type of budget typically tossed at superhero fare, yet this grittier take on an X-Men-esque world delivers plenty of compelling action sequences.

Outside the Wire

Set in the near future, Outside the Wire centers around a civil war between pro-Russian insurgents and local resistances in Ukraine leads the US to deploy peacekeeping forces. It stars Anthony Mackie (who also produced the movie) as an android officer who works with a drone pilot, played by Damson Idris, to stop a global catastrophe. Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, and Pilou Asbæk also star. The movie was directed by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström, who’s also helmed thrillers like 2013’s Escape Plan starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Project Power

Another Netflix Original, Project Power stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback. It follows a drug dealer (Fishback), a police officer (Gordon-Levitt), and a former soldier (Foxx) in a near-future New Orleans who team up to stop the distribution of a pill that gives the user superpowers for five minutes. The movie was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the duo behind Paranormal Activity 3 and Paranormal Activity 4. Colson Baker, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, and Allen Maldonado also star.

Extraction

Sinking $65 million dollars into its action spectacle Extraction, it’s no wonder Netflix chose to, as they say, go balls-to-the-wall on every front. Nabbing Chris Hemsworth for the lead was a masterstroke, but the big get aside from Thor is its director Sam Hargrave, who also happens to be an MCU stunt performer. Much like John Wick saw noted stunt genius Chad Stahelski take the reins as director for the first time, Hargrave gets that same chance to lens action the way a stuntman experiences it.

And that’s largely why the plot might not matter much. Who’s fussed about specifics when your director’s strapping himself into a car for a 12-minute take of a high-speed car chase? Granted, the story’s a decent enough tale of a sultry mercenary who accepts a job to locate the kidnapped son of an international crime lord, but it’s not going to change the face of cinema. Come for Hemsworth playing a slightly more serious role, and stay for the terrific action set pieces. 

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Beasts of No Nation

One of Netflix’s very first productions was a bold proposition indeed; a war movie in a fictional African country, performed for long stretches in Twi (a dialect of the Akan language spoken in Ghana), about a child soldier groomed for violence by a simultaneously terrifying and magnetic commandant. Beasts of No Nation plays out in just as bleak a manner as the premise suggests, leaving the viewer morally conflicted and emotionally exhausted.

In a movie that’s equal parts thrilling and harrowing, Idris Elba delivers an absolute masterclass in his role as the commandant. You watch him groom a child for war and perform several war crimes, and yet, somehow, you still find yourself wanting to root for him. And no less of a revelation is the young Abraham Attah as Agu. 

Triple Frontier

Think of Triple Frontier as Ocean’s Eleven with a military slant. J.C Chandor directs from a script he co-wrote with Zero Dark Thirty’s Mark Boal for the testosterone movie of the year, that tells of a group of former Special Forces Operatives who band together to rob a noted cartel drug lord. It’s hardly new, plot-wise, but the movie brings out plenty of surprises beneath its pecs. Notably, its cast manages to venture into interesting territory with their characters, who find themselves in dire straits when a simple plan goes wrong.

Oscar Isaac leads as Santiago “Pope” Garcia, a DEA Agent who reunites his former team (Ben Affleck on top form, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund) to carry out the heist, that undoubtedly doesn’t pan out the way they expect. Netflix struck gold with this winning combo of top-shelf A-listers, taut, precision scripting, and great action sequences that have your heart in your throat. One of the best action movies on Netflix, Triple Frontier packs equal amounts of brawn and brain and is eminently watchable. 

The Debt Collector

Non-Netflix original available in US/UK

Several collaborations deep, and action champ Scott Adkins and director Jesse Johnson’s established rapport continues to, well, put Adkins into increasingly-hairy situations where the only way out is through… someone’s face. The pair typically ramp up the Guy Ritchie-esque British crime thriller template, yet this time they relocate to sunny Los Angeles where Adkins’ dedicated martial arts teacher French is struggling to keep his dojo open. 

He quickly accepts a job as a debt collector that connects him with Sue, a former B-movie ninja expert, whose shabby aesthetic masks his thunderous desire to break people’s legs. Johnson and Adkins are in their element here. The stunt coordinator-turned director dispenses with scene-after-scene of action-comedy genius, clearly comfortable with both at this point in his career.

6 Underground

Starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Michael Bay, this movie follows a group of, you guessed it, six people. All of them are highly skilled and capable of taking down even the most untouchable of targets. Their aim this time round is a dictator in Turkistan, named Rovach Alimov. 

Though this film didn’t do that well with critics, it’s still packed with action, and Reynolds’ performance as the lead character has been praised. 6 Underground is a great choice for a slice of explosive escapism, especially if you’re already a Bay fan. 

Okja

A near-future sci-fi flick by Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-ho, this is exactly the type of Netflix Original the world needs: funny, weird, and utterly charming. Part environmental parable, part bleeding heart manifesto, the movie follows, Mija, a 10-year old whose best friend is a super-pig called Okja. When the lab that created her friend steal the swine away from her, Mija embarks on an adventure to retrieve Okja that takes her across the globe.

Unlike the brutal, bleak landscape of Snowpiecer, Okja showcases Joon-Ho’s softer side. It’s still oddball and wacky but packed with a ton of heart.  One of Netflix’s first movies that manages to juggle different ideas without losing sight of the goal; a real genre-blending effort. Oh, and Tilda Swinton. Anything that involves Tilda Swinton is worth watching.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

A spin-off of The Witcher Netflix series, Nightmare of the Wolf serves as an origin story for Geralt’s (Henry Cavill) mentor and fellow witcher Vesemir,  voiced by Theo James. A servant on a nobleman’s estate, Vesemir longs to explore the Continent and find his destiny. Sherlock’s Lara Pulver is Tetra, a sorceress descended from one of the Continent’s first mages. She and her followers work to keep peace on the Continent by ensuring that magic is not abused. Graham McTavish voices warrior-leader Deglan, while Mary McDonnell is noblewoman Lady Zerbst.

Kwang Il Han directed the movie, while Beau DeMayo wrote the script, and The Witcher showrunner and executive producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is on board as a producer. Han is part of Studio Mir, who worked on the series The Legend of Korra, and DeMayo has also written and produced on the original Witcher series.

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The post The 23 best Netflix action movies to watch right now appeared first on Game News.

We’ve scoured the streaming platform and rounded up the best Netflix documentaries, bringing you a curated list that includes true crime, sports, natural disasters, and everything in between. Sure, we’ve got Blackfish and Tiger King, but we’ve also got titles that might have flown under your radar like Virunga or Mercury 13. So croll on down, peruse our list, and start planning your next binge-watch.

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The best documentaries on Netflix

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

The documentary: Despite passing away in 1995, painter Bob Ross’ place in pop culture remains as strong as ever. Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed looks beyond Ross’ outwardly cheerful disposition to uncover a legacy that has been hijacked in what Ross’ son, Steve, calls a “shameful” act.

Why it’s worth a watch: Bob Ross is ubiquitous even now, but have we ever questioned why that is? Happy Accidents, Betrayal, & Greed shines a much-needed light on the murky underbelly of profiting on a celebrity long after they’ve passed – and who seeks to gain from it. 

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

The documentary: Renowned documentary maker David Attenborough takes a step back from looking at nature to see how humanity has wreaked havoc on the animal kingdom and the environment, all while describing first-hand how the world has changed since he began his career in the ’50s.

Why it’s worth a watch: David Attenborough’s nature documentaries are often jaw-dropping. A Life on Our Planet does so for very different reasons. Acting as a wake-up call for a planet sleepwalking towards global disaster, Attenborough’s message is a sharp shock to the system, yet an essential one if we want to keep marvelling out the creatures that continue to amaze us.

Athlete A

The documentary: Athlete A follows the journalists who helped break one of the biggest stories in US sport: the sex abuse scandal that tore through American gymnastics and ruined countless lives.

Why it’s worth a watch: Netflix is fast becoming the place to watch some of the most gut-wrenching, yet necessary, stories of our time. Not only is Athlete A an eye-opening look into the continued brilliance and hard work of investigative journalists, but it’s also a grim reminder of the evil that often hides in plain sight.

Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King

The documentary: Gerry Cotten, founder and CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency QuadrigaCX, owed his fellow investors over $250 million – then he died. The film, directed by Luke Sewell, follows the investors as they investigate Cotten’s death and figure out just where the money might have ended up.

Why it’s worth a watch: It’s a bizarre story that explores multiple theories surrounding Gerald’s death – with a particularly strong one being that he faked his death and ran off with the cash. It also features a dude in a 3D-printed raccoon-head mask speaking in one of those distorted voices meant to hide your identity.

The Social Dilemma

The documentary: A deep dive into social media and how it’s used as a tool of misinformation and corruption in a world where everyone is almost always online.

Why it’s worth a watch: Not many documentaries will make you rethink having a Facebook account, let’s put it that way. Social media continues to dominate our lives but not many have put much thought into the impact of that – until now. The Social Dilemma is a captivating, chilling watch on how everything from algorithms to A.I. are secretly controlling and manipulating our lives.

Formula 1 Drive to Survive

The documentary: Go behind the scenes at the Formula 1 World Championships as tensions boil over across three seasons in one of the world’s most popular sports.

Why it’s worth a watch: It not only scratches that Last Dance itch but, unlike Amazon’s sometimes restrictive All or Nothing series, you get some serious access here: fireworks are never too far away as young egos collide, tragedy strikes, and new drama is only ever just around the corner. One for sports and non-sports fans alike.

The Last Dance

The documentary: Charting the Chicago Bulls’ 1997/98 season, The Last Dance frames that fateful year with archival footage and interviews with Michael Jordan and some of his closest allies and enemies. The ups, the downs, and the slam dunks all feature.

Why it’s worth a watch: You don’t need to be a basketball fan to get the most out of The Last Dance. The joint ESPN/Netflix production dives deep into what makes one of the biggest icons of the 20th Century tick: the feuds, the fights with front office, and the family stories all feature heavily here. It’s all presented in a way that lets you learn as you go, without being condescending. Plus, if you are into b-ball, then you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’re seeing a hidden side of one of the sport’s greatest dynasties. Hundreds of hours of previously unseen footage were used for The Last Dance, and it offers a unique, complex take on the man they once called “Air.”

Mercury 13

The documentary: Tackling a topic that sadly still permeates our culture, Mercury 13 is nevertheless a must-see, diving into the reality of being a female astronaut in the ’60s. Don’t remember them? This film explores why that’s the case, revealing the truth behind their absence in history. Dubbed the Mercury 13 – after the first US space mission, Mercury – these women underwent the same rigorous testing as their male counterparts, and yet were denied the chance to take flight.

Why it’s worth a watch: A piece of history that many of us just don’t know about, this is one of many examples of sexism that’s so ingrained in our collective past, we don’t realise it. If you’re a fan of untold backstories, you’ll be both enthralled and, at times, enraged by the story of these remarkable women and how their dreams were backburnered because of their gender. Told via interviews with the remaining members of the group, this is a fascinating cultural document. 

The Bleeding Edge

The documentary: Healthcare. Anyone who’s been shocked to hear their pharmacist utter the words “that’ll be $800, please” for a 30-day prescription knows this is a lucrative industry. That’s what make The Bleeding Edge such a succulent topic for a documentary, as delves into one another medical avenue, the $400 billion medical device industry. You heard. Exploring five devices and the havoc they’ve caused patients, this is jaw-dropping – and very necessary – viewing.

Why it’s worth a watch: Whether you live in a country with free healthcare or not, the sheer gall of some companies in rushing out products prior to being thoroughly vetted is astonishing. Which, of course, makes for compelling viewing.

Tiger King

The documentary: Tiger King’s as bonkers as they say. The seven-part limited series follows Joe Exotic – a gay, gun-toting, mulleted, all-American zookeeper who despises a big cat activist named Carole Baskin. We’re introduced to a host of colourful characters, including another zookeeper who allegedly has a harem, a man who claims to be the influence for Scarface, and a reality-show producer who’s tried to document the whole thing but… well, we won’t spoil it here. Oh, and there’s a murder mystery as well.

Why it’s worth a watch: There’s absolutely no knowing what’s coming next in Tiger King. Each episode adds another twist, and it’s almost impossible to stop watching. Plus, after you’re done, you can do some armchair detective work and find out where they all are now. Because, yes, this really a true-crime documentary, and not another season of American Vandal. 

Hot Girls Wanted

The documentary: Porn is something that none of us feels 100% comfortable talking about, but, if we’re honest, we’re all familiar with it one way or another. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in the multi-million dollar porn industry, American documentary film Hot Girls Wanted is for you. Directed by filmmakers Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus, the documentary follows the lives of several 18- to 19-year-old pornographic actresses and premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2015 before being snapped up by Netflix.

Why it’s worth a watch: This documentary doesn’t pull any punches and shows some of the best and worst aspects of working in the porn industry. Netflix was obviously please with its reception as it released an accompanying documentary TV show called Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On to further explore the story.

Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond

The documentary: If you’re a fan of comedian Andy Kaufman, Jim Carrey, or the 1999 biopic which starred Carrey as Kaufman, Man on the Moon (opens in new tab), this is the documentary for you. Director Chris Smith focuses on Carrey during the filming of Man on the Moon in which he stayed in character as Kaufman throughout production, using contemporary interviews with Carrey and never-before-seen footage of the making of Man on the Moon. 

Why it’s worth a watch: It’s almost scary how easily Carrey brings his idol Kaufman back to life. The studio reportedly didn’t want the behind-the-scenes footage to ever be released and, once you see it, you’ll understand why. It’s clear that Carrey’s commitment to the role caused problems on set, but Jim and Andy is a compelling story about two of the world’s biggest comedians and why they do what they do. 

Icarus

The documentary: Icarus is definitive proof that twists and turns aren’t reserved for the fictions of Hollywood. Filmmaker and cyclist Bryan Fogel planned to make a film about doping in the sports industry, choosing to load himself up on steroids and document the experience. Think of it like Super Size Me, but with pharmaceutical-grade meds instead of Big Macs. His plan was to see how easy it is to get away with doping in professional sport. 

Why it’s worth a watch: That concept – of trying to get away with doping in sport – is an intriguing enough premise in light of Lance Armstrong’s shenanigans. However, what he winds up discovering after speaking with a Russian doctor completely changes the purpose of the doc turning Icarus into a powerful, political thriller.

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The Staircase

The documentary: In 2001, a 911 operator receives a call from a distraught husband after discovering his wife’s body at the bottom of the stairs. That individual is author Michael Peterson, who becomes the subject of a documentary that unfurls over the course of a decade. Did Kathleen Peterson really fall? Or was she the victim of domestic violence? The French filmmaking crew who tackle the case began rolling immediately after Michael’s indictment, and are given free rein of the entire Peterson family, which in itself, is surrounded by as many bizarre twists as the murder case. 

Why it’s worth a watch: So you can enjoy spiralling into the vast array of fan theories afterward! This is a compelling true crime series much like Making a Murderer. Unlike that series, The Staircase has a huge biased edge: as the doc was filmed intermittently over the course of a decade, the editor of the documentary grew close to Peterson and ended up dating him. Seriously, get this watched.

Cheer

The documentary: It’s a behind-the-scenes look into the world of competitive cheerleading told through the eyes of the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team and their coach Monica Aldama.

Why it’s worth a watch: Cheerleading is much more than shaking some pom-poms and screaming ‘Go team!’ It’s a competitive, team-based sport that can take a toll on both the mind and body. Cheer is a heartwarming docuseries about drive and passion and unity, told through the lens of characters that you just can’t help but root for. Season two takes on a much darker tone, as it deals with serious allegations against a former team member and highlights the brave victims who brought them to light.

My Octopus Teacher

The documentary: A cross-species friendship like this is something you’d probably expect to see in an animated movie rather than a documentary. My Octopus Teacher chronicles the bond between an intrepid young octopus and filmmaker Craig Foster. Foster not only earns the octopus’ trust, but is also given the opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of her life, while picking up some more profound lessons along the way. 

Why it’s worth a watch: This doc scored an Oscars nomination for Best Documentary Feature, and has scooped plenty of wins and nominations for other awards, as well as critical acclaim, since its 2020 release. It’s not your average nature documentary, with its close focus on one subject and the relationship between octopus and filmmaker, and there’s much to reflect on about humanity and nature by the time the credits roll. 

Meltdown: Three Mile Island

The documentary: The Three Mile Island accident saw the partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor – and is still to this day the worst nuclear accident in United States history.

Why it’s worth a watch: The doc is a four-part slow-burn that really builds and builds the impending terror in the days leading up to the disaster. It effectively illustrates how America was just minutes away from its own Chernobyl disaster and highlights the way thousands of civilians were able to narrowly escape being affected by radiation.

The Tinder Swindler

The documentary: Simon Leviev, while masquerading as the son of a Russian-Israeli diamond mogul, used the dating app Tinder in order to meet women and emotionally manipulate them into lending him hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Why it’s worth a watch: Though it may seem like a story about a scammer on a dating app, it’s actually a terrifyingly honest look at the way narcissists and abusers prey on and purposely seek out vulnerable people. The lives of each victim were ruined, and many are still struggling to rebuild.

Virunga

The documentary: If you thought Gorillas in the Mist was harrowing, then prepare yourself for what the inhabitants of Virunga National Park face. We’re not just talking simians, but the brave park rangers whose attempts to rescue these mountain gorillas from extinction is an utterly heart-wrenching feat. The film scored an Oscar nomination for its expose on the Congolese park and the horror of poachers and the devious tactics of oil companies.

Why it’s worth a watch: Be prepared to shed absolute buckets at the horrors. But, it isn’t entirely bleak though, as the real message here is the lengths that people will go to in order to save a species.

Chef’s Table

The documentary: You’ve seen Masterchef, you’ve gobbled up Bake Off, and now it’s time to dip into the process of culinary perfection. Profiling six prestigious world-renowned chefs, whose discipline and determination is staggering, the series visits each of them in their own restaurants. It’s like watching artists at work. There’s no contest here to maintain your interest, no drive to the finish as popularised by most cooking shows. 

Why it’s worth a watch: Okay, sure, there’s no contest so you might be wondering what the appeal is. While there’s no competition; this isn’t about the commercialism of the restaurant industry either, it’s simply about how the creative process is born in each chef and the joy they derive from plating up their masterpieces.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

The documentary: Chronicles the tale of the infamous Fyre Festival of 2017, which promised a paradisiacal getaway to the Bahamas, but quickly turned it into a scene straight out of Lord of the Flies thanks to the wild mismanagement of its overconfident organisers, and particularly its chief fraudster, Billy McFarland.

Why it’s worth a watch: In 2019, nothing gets more cathartic than watching the irresponsible follies and misdeeds of America’s elite finally come back to hit them where it hurts. Fyre provides exactly that kind of guilty euphoria, as director Chris Smith (Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond) successfully paints an alarming picture of “entrepreneur” Billy McFarland’s arrogance, arguably sociopath tendencies, and sheer deluded sense of desperation. 

Blackfish

The documentary: The truth behind keeping whales in captivity is chronicled in this Netflix Original, tracing the story of an Orca named Tilikum who killed three humans while at Sea World. While there’s no doubt those deaths were tragic, filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite delves into why the killer whale acted in this way. Is it in his nature? Or was it because he was torn away from his family at two years of age, and kept in isolation and confinement for twenty years? Hearing the testimonies of his former trainers will only further break your heart.

Why it’s worth a watch: Both sides of the nature versus nurture coin are explored here in an attempt to make sense of a chewy moral dilemma. This story is one that continues to make waves – should animals be kept in captivity for our entertainment? – making this a must-see Netflix documentary.

Making a Murderer

The documentary: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard about Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who served 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Two years after his exoneration he was found guilty of murder. So, did he do it? This docuseries covers his life extensively, beginning with his first brush with crime right up until the present day.

Why it’s worth a watch: One of the best documentaries on Netflix – if not, one of the best true crime documentaries ever made – this is utterly compelling storytelling. It’s the murder trial episodes that carries the most tension, as his defence team argues he was framed by the Manitowoc police department and back it up with some pretty convincing evidence. There’s a reason this show has captured the public’s interest.

Amanda Knox

The documentary: The case of Amanda Knox is a controversial one. In 2007 the American student was put on trial for the murder of Meredith Kercher. Both had been studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, when Kercher was found brutally butchered. A hotbed of speculation sprang up surrounding Knox’s involvement and the media painted her as the villain. She, her boyfriend, and a third party were all tried for murder with the former pair eventually walking free after serving four years behind bars. 

Why it’s worth a watch: Told as a story, the case itself is fascinating, however what makes it so compelling are the one-on-one conversations captured on film, including interviews with Knox.

• The best Netflix horror movies
• The best Netflix comedies

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The best survival horror games are…

10. Resident Evil 2 remake

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, and PC

Almost 20 years after its original PS1 release, Resident Evil 2 is back and better than ever. The Resident Evil 2 Remake (opens in new tab) has rebuilt the original game from the ground up, which manages to simultaneously honour its roots and build a future for one of the most groundbreaking horror games of all time. Leon and Claire are attempting to escape the zombie-filled Raccoon City, and will face plenty of monsters and challenges along the way. Tight gunplay, clever puzzles, great set pieces and some strangely beautiful gore – seriously – all combine to make one of the most essential, and best, survival horror games.

9. The Last of Us

Available: PS4, PS5 

There was a BBC documentary on a little known fungus called Cordyceps, which infects the brains of ants, assumes control, and drives the ants to water before bursting from their skulls. This savoury topic became the inspiration for Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, the tale of a man named Joel trying to take a girl called Ellie across post-apocalyptic America, when the cordycepts fungus has found a way to infect humans. Resources here are incredibly scarce, meaning you’ll have to scavenge for bullets or tape and scissors to hastily make shivs when creeping through infected ruins. The scares are brutal and unyielding, but punctuated by real tenderness in the narrative. The Last of Us is one of the most well-told stories ever and is a must-play for fans of horror and video games more broadly. With The Last of Us Part One recently announced at Summer Game Fest 2022, it seems pretty clear Ellie and Joel’s legacy will continue to stretch well into the future.  

8. Soma

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, and PC

Soma reaches far. The studio behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent decided to turn its hands to sci-fi, examining the fluid relationship between our bodies and minds. You wake up in an abandoned research facility and come face to face with broken robots who think they’re people. It soon becomes clear that real humans’ minds are actually inside these robotic shells, but they’re completely unaware they’ve been uploaded there and don’t understand why you don’t think they’re human. The story is intriguing, creepy, and at times heartbreaking, and well worth a play for those interested in the concept of AI. 

7. Resident Evil: Village

Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC

The opening of Resident Evil Village, a continuation of RE7’s story this time set in Eastern Europe, is strong, clever, and fun – full of atmosphere and intrigue as you explore (and features a part that’s probably one of the best stand-alone horror levels of the year). While the latter half veers into ‘okay’ territory, with some combat slogs, a boss fight that’s a bit of a stretch even by Resident Evil standards and, while it’s still good, it lacks the same spark and craft as the beginning. Resident Evil Village is an enjoyable, occasionally silly, monster hunt that’s entertaining – even if it almost completely resets all the incredible work Resident Evil 7 did to reinvent the series.  

6. Alien Isolation

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, and PC

Creative Assembly wanted to explore what happened between the events of Ripley blasting the alien out the airlock and the moment her floating sleep pod is recovered. The result is Alien: Isolation, where Amanda Ripley goes looking for answers about why her mother disappeared. Her search brings her to a remote space station called the Sevastopol, whose dark halls are being stalked by a familiar creature who literally does not stop hunting you. The AI in Alien Isolation was groundbreaking; the alien can’t be defeated, but it’ll learn your ways of avoiding it. Hide in too many lockers, and it’ll start throwing them open searching for you. Use the motion tracker to steer clear of its path, and it’ll hear the beeps and draw closer. If it sees you, it’ll remember which door you went through to escape. Thanks, sadistic game tech clever clogs. 

5. Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC

You have no gun. When the shambling creature hunting you in Amnesia draws near, the only thing you can do is hide or run. If you light your lantern to see in the dark it’ll find you more easily. If you extinguish the flame you’re better hidden, but your character goes slowly insane with terror. Amnesia is a Lovecraftian tale where you wake up on the floor of a castle with no memory of where you came from, but a note from your past self explains you must find and kill the master of the house. The loading screen instructs you to turn the lights off and play with headphones, and truly, that is the scariest way to play. The graphics may be a little dated now, but few games have an atmosphere this genuinely frightening and suffocating. 

4. Outlast

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC

There’s a moment in Outlast where everything could have been different. When your car groans to a halt in the deserted grounds of an eerie asylum, the front doors are locked but your character, an investigative journalist, spots an open window. At this point, anyone with a sliver of self-preservation would walk away and call for backup, but that would make a terrible game. Instead, you climb through the opening, video camera in hand, and what unfolds is five hours of pure terror. The inmates run the place, and in some areas the bloodstained corridors are pitch black meaning the only way you can see is through your camera’s night vision. True to survival horror form, camera batteries are scarce; jump scares aren’t, though.

3. Evil Within 2

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, and PC

Another one of Mikami’s creations was The Evil Within, which like Resi explores the corrosive effects of megacorp greed – but this time the suits are dunking people in an alternative reality called STEM rather than turning them into zombies. Here, each character’s worst nightmares play out as they’re trapped in their own heads, linked up to a collective consciousness like a messed up Matrix that no pill will let you leave. The sequel follows Detective Sebastian Castellanos who must venture into STEM to find his missing daughter, who’s been subject to experiments by the greedy company behind the simulation, Mobius. The sequel has much greater freedom in its map design than the first Evil Within, with more areas to explore and more ways to advance through a level, making it a great place to jump in.

2. Resident Evil 7

Available on: PS4, PSVR, Xbox One, and PC

The only place to start is with the inventor of survival horror, Shinji Mikami. The legendary Japanese video game designer directed many of Capcom’s biggest titles in the 90s, including Resident Evil. That first foray into the twisted world of the Umbrella Corporation is credited as the original survival horror game, and the series has spanned over two decades since. Resident Evil 7 follows the story of a man named Ethan, whose search for his missing wife leads him to a rotten old house belonging to the twisted Baker family. 

After the more action-oriented Resident Evil 5 and 6, Resident Evil 7 firmly re-roots the series in survival horror. And the series’ return to horror is deliberate, grimy, and effective. There’s a sense of dread that never lets up as the Baker family relentlessly pursues you, and every few turns brings another horrific monster to contend with. The whole game is playable in VR too, meaning when you peer around corners in-game you have to physically twist your body forward in your living room. Be prepared to have your toes forcibly uncurled via local anaesthetic after.

1. The Last of Us 2

Available on: PS4

Ambitious, disruptive, and brave, The Last of Us 2 set a new bar for video game storytelling by taking your hopes and affections, bringing a bulldozer to them, and then making you fall in love with the bulldozer. But even putting the monumental narrative achievements aside, Naughty Dog made a survival horror game that’s wicked smart, unpredictable, and scary on a whole new level.

The infected are terrifying enough in their own right – if you thought clickers were bad, wait until you meet the Rat King – but The Last of Us 2 affects each kill with a moral dilemma at-times brought on by your personal relationship with that character, and other times by the visceral way in which they struggle to breathe another breath and eventually succumb. If the survival horror genre is meant to haunt, challenge, and question you, but somehow still be fun to play, The Last of Us 2 is the best of the best.

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This series has had its ups and downs over the years – which is why you won’t find Battlefield 2042 here for the time being – but this list of the best Battlefield games shows what it is capable of when firing on all cylinders. Bigger, louder, and more destructive  than any other FPS on the market, set across some of the most stunning multiplayer battlefields ever created. So, let’s get into it: Here are the 10 best Battlefield games of all-time.

Best Battlefield games, ranked

10. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat 

Platform(s): PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Release year: 2005

While PC players were enjoying the delights of 64-player all-out-warfare, console players were treated to something a little smaller. It may seem quaint now, but in 2006 Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was a truly spectacular experience. In the earliest days of online play for console, this Battlefield 2 spin-off was unlike anything else on PS2 or original Xbox – and the polished-up version that landed on Xbox 360 in 2006 wasn’t so bad either. 

While many of you may remember the gimmicky solo campaign, which allowed you to hotswap between soldiers across the battlefield, it was the 24-player online rounds of Conquest and Capture the Flag that delighted. It’s a scaled down experienced compared to what PC players were dealing with, but it was a solid conversion for the comparatively underpowered consoles, letting those of us with early PlayStation Network and Xbox Live accounts dream of bigger, bolder multiplayer experiences. It was a good time. 

9. Battlefield 1943

Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2009

In terms of content alone, Battlefield 1943 is very, very small. It features just a handful of multiplayer maps, vehicles, and weapons, with no single player experience to speak of whatsoever. But that didn’t matter, because what was there was one of the most enjoyable multiplayer FPS experiences that you could hope for, and one of the first games to exemplify the benefits of a digital market. 

1943 is the classic Battlefield experience distilled into its purest form. 24 players, three classes, one game mode, and three excellent maps – battles waged on Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima have become legendary for the players who were connected to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network at the time. Battlefield 1943 makes up for its lack of content with finely-tuned balance, memorable maps, and impossibly tight skirmishes that have been lost in DICE’s efforts to increase the player count in the years since. 

8. Battlefield 4 

Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4 Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release year: 2013

With the foundation for a new era of Battlefield outlined by Battlefield 3, DICE’s follow-up is essentially more of the same. While the campaign is an improvement, it still had plenty of room for improvement – not that you cared all much once you were knees deep into Battlefield 4’s upgraded multiplayer options. 

While DICE clearly struggled as it worked to release Battlefield 4 on PC and across two console generations, there was a lot to love here. PlayStation and Xbox owners could finally appreciate the joyous chaos of 64-player matches, while the Levolution system – in which huge parts of each map could be drastically changed by weather and player activity – is still an impressive addition. Sadly, launch day troubles soured public opinion on the game for quite some time, its best qualities blighted by crippled servers and bugs aplenty. Battlefield 4 has come a long way since then, but we can’t ignore the shadow of its false promises, hence its somewhat diminished position on this list.

7. Battlefield 5

Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release year: 2018

There’s a lot to love about Battlefield 5. It’s systematic, meticulous approach to subtly reworking multiplayer leads to some of the finest gunplay experienced in an online shooter to date, while the presentation has never been better thanks to detailed animations, state of the art technology, and a rousing, monumental original soundtrack. 

But this isn’t a Battlefield for everyone. By widening the skill gap and dialling down the spectacle, Battlefield 5 obfuscates the primordial craze of its predecessors for something a little more muted and a little less distinctive against the range of other shooters on the market. Your conclusions about Battlefield 5 will ultimately depend on what you want from a Battlefield game, but it’s hard to deny this instalment lacks that special X factor compared to the higher ranking entries on this list.  

6. Battlefield: Bad Company

Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2008

Many fondly remember Bad Company 2, but few talk about the original with quite the same enthusiasm. Shame, because it was the prototype for most things that made the sequel so brilliant. It was one of the first Battlefield games with a proper story, characters who you enjoy spending time with, and it represents the first use of the now legendary Frostbite engine in the Battlefield series. 

The result was levels of destruction we simply hadn’t seen before, and that makes it a landmark game. Sadly, DICE’s lack of experience in crafting a solo campaign was exposed too, with occasionally poor AI and some strange control options marking an otherwise excellent experience. Multiplayer was a sticking point too, as the game only shipped with a mode called Gold Rush (a prototype of the new classic Rush mode). Fan requests saw Conquest added afterwards, but the real strength of Bad Company always remained the single player. 

5. Battlefield 1942 

Platform(s): PC
Release year: 2002

The first, the original and, for many, one of the best. Battlefield 1942 is a formative piece of gaming history, in which DICE first took the concept of the hardcore military sim and marketed it to a wider audience. Not just valued for its historical importance, Battlefield 1942 is a fantastic first person shooter in its own right. For its time, the open map design and record breaking 64-player limits were a jaw dropping feat of technical power that let PC players value every penny they’d invested into their gaming machine, and even today, the authenticity of the gameplay stands up well. 

All the DNA of Battlefield is here – class-based gameplay, vehicular, all-terrain combat, team-focused multiplayer modes – proving that DICE had struck gold with a formula that has maintained its appeal in the shooter genre all these years later. Oh, and it was the game which blessed us with Wake Island, a near perfect multiplayer map, which justifies its position in this list alone.

4. Battlefield 1

Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release year: 2016

The biggest, wildest Battlefield game to date, Battlefield 1 turned the clock back after years of modern combat to offer a ferocious presentation of World War 1, in all its unhinged desolation. Coming off of a slew of forgettable, modern day campaigns, Battlefield 1’s War Stories took a different approach via a series of isolated vignettes, spotlighting the individuals on each side of the conflict, and paying off greatly in terms of both pace and pathos. 

As for the new multiplayer features, Behemoths were a game-changing, earth-shattering alternative to Levelution, so unfettered in their seismic power that we’re willing to forgive the tremendous competitive imbalances that they brought to almost every match. Battlefield 1 is up there not just as a definitive high point for the series, but for the FPS genre at large. 

3. Battlefield 2

Platform(s): PC
Release year: 2005

Modern Battlefield games began with Battlefield 2… and I don’t just say that because Battlefield 2 was literally the first one with a modern setting (and the first to totally disregard proper numbering conventions). It was here that the series began to move away from the mindset of players swarming around static capture points in miniature wars of attrition.

Players were encouraged to join up with one of their team’s squads, giving them both a mobile spawn point in the form of their squad leader and a way to receive more specific objectives than ‘get all the flags’. Adding the soldier-reviving defibrillator to the medic class and ammo bags to the support class also promoted a more mobile, dynamic game. Battlefield 1942 established the broad concept that all the following games would pursue, but Battlefield 2 refined and focused it in many ways that persist today.

2. Battlefield 3

Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2011

EA positioned Battlefield 3 as true contender to Call of Duty’s throne in 2011. Developer DICE worked to go back to Battlefield’s roots, all as it positioned this massive sequel as a simultaneous release across PC and console. While the campaign suffered through to its linearity, lacklustre AI, and drag missions, the multiplayer side to play was truly world-class. 

What it lacked in Bad Company 2-levels of destruction and carnage, Battlefield 3 made up for with a deep multiplayer offering – a true showcase of the series’ all-out-warfare mantra with beautiful environments, great variety in vehicles and weapons, and solid rewards for team-play. Battlefield 3 set a new standard for the series in the modern era, one that DICE has struggled to match in the years since its release. 

1. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 

Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2010

For all its steely eyed militarism, it turns out that Battlefield has a real personality on its off hours. Battlefield Bad Company 2 features the best campaign of the franchise to date, with funny writing, unique mission scenarios, and a cast of characters who are actually a laugh to be around. There are cliches aplenty, but the snappy pace and expert mission design were just two bonus reasons to spend more time with the titular company of vagabond heroes, and that final, completely bonkers mission is still a total hoot. 

Bad Company 2’s multiplayer was equally carefree and chaotic, with varied maps and a whole suite of impressive physics, destruction, and sound effects for experimenting with. Plus, the tragically underrated Vietnam expansion nails the historiography of its setting better than most full Battlefield games, extending the shelf life of Bad Company 2’s multiplayer with a more ferocious, claustrophobic variant on the game’s irresistible slashings of PvP. This is Battlefield unshackled, tongue firmly in its cheek, surprising all of us to still stand tall as the best Battlefield game of all time. 

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Now, if that doesn’t float your boat, then there’s plenty more to choose from, like family-friendly movies Apollo 10½ and The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Oscar-nominated flicks – watch Tick, Tick…Boom! and The Power of the Dog, or perhaps a Scorsese instant-classic in The Irishman. There’s a lot to choose from, and all our choices for the best Netflix movies are available in both the US and UK right now, so it doesn’t matter where you’re based. We’re always updating this page too to make sure we include all of the latest releases on the streaming platform. And if you’re not after a new Netflix movie, then be sure to check out our lists on the best Netflix shows and best Netflix documentaries.

The best Netflix movies to watch right now

RRR

Year released: 2022
Director: S. S. Rajamouli

There’s a reason RRR has been called one of the greatest action movies of all time. First released in cinemas, RRR has found a new life on Netflix, with Western audiences discovering this Indian epic. Directed by S. S. Rajamouli, the Telugu-language movie takes place in the 1920s and centers on two revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.), in their explosive challenge of the British Raj. 

It’s lengthy at 182 minutes, but RRR doesn’t waste a second, cramming in everything from fiery bow and arrow battles and motorcycle chases to men fighting alongside bloodied tigers. If none of that tickles your fancy, firstly, what more do you want? Secondly, fear not, it also features a romantic subplot, a sweet bromance, and a couple of musical numbers, too. All of which culminates in making this one of the best Netflix movies you can watch right now.

Hustle

Year released: 2022
Director: Jeremiah Zagar

You don’t necessarily think of Adam Sandler when you picture the best Netflix movies. And yet, here Hustle stands as one of the best Netflix originals available to watch. And this one’s more uplifting than Uncut Gems (removed from this list after leaving the streaming service).

Hustle’s a sports drama that follows a former basketball recruiter, played by Sandler, who tries to revive his career by bringing a player from Spain, Juancho Hernangomez, a member of the real-life NBA team the Memphis Grizzlies, to play in the NBA. Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall, as well as several cameos from NBA players and coaches, appear in the movie. Prepare to get a bit weepy.

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

Year released: 2022
Director: Richard Linklater

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood is the latest collaborative effort from the Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater and actor Jack Black. The pair have worked together on numerous occasions, perhaps most famously on School of Rock, and their new movie is an equally joyful release, telling the story of a fourth-grader, Stanley, who’s sent to space after a pair of NASA scientists – played by Zachary Levi and Glen Powell – realize that they have accidentally built modules that are too small for an adult. 

Though about a youngster, Apollo 10½ is very much set in the past, the fictional events taking place in 1969, the year the very real Apollo 11 first took humans to the moon. Plus, the non-fantastical elements are deeply rooted in Linklater’s own past, with the film acting as partly autobiographical. Meanwhile, Black plays an older version of Stanley. The story’s not the only notable thing about Apollo 10½ – while the movie was shot in live-action, the whole thing is animated, the actors rotoscoped over, leading to some fantastically inventive sequences. 

The Hand of God

Year released: 2021
Director: Paolo Sorrentino

Set in mid-’80s Naples, where the world’s greatest footballer, Diego Maradona, has sensationally signed to play for the city’s top-flight team, The Hand of God is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale, telling the story of a sensitive teenager and Sorrentino surrogate Fabietto (the up-and-coming Filippo Scotti). The title refers to the controversial goal scored by Maradona against England in the ’86 World Cup, but it’s also a nod to the twist of fate which shapes the protagonist’s future life. 

Within its loose, episodic structure, The Hand of God offers some brash laughs; there’s fun to be had spending time with Fabietto’s larger-than-life relatives, friends, neighbors, plus a diverting drop-in on an extras-casting session for a Fellini film. Not one to miss.

Tick, Tick… Boom!

Year released: 2021
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton whiz Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his directorial debut with Tick, Tick… Boom!, an energetic adaptation of a lesser-known work by Rent creator Jonathan Larson. The largely autobiographical story follows wannabe theatre composer Jon (Andrew Garfield) as his post-college dream collides with reality: working in a New York diner in 1990, he’s burdened with a desperate urge to stage his musical ambition before he turns 30. An effusive Garfield is superb in his first singing role, while Miranda directs with verve, avoiding the usual stage-to-screen pitfalls while nailing the varied musical numbers.

Dick Johnson Is Dead

Year released: 2020
Director: Kirsten Johnson

Dick Johnson Is Dead is one of those rare documentaries that’s so much more than just a documentary. The film focuses on Dick Johnson, a man still very much alive but will one day, like all of us, die. His daughter, Kirsten Johnson, is behind the camera and makes her father walk through various situations that could lead to his death. This is all about coming to terms with mortality and losing loved ones, and does so in a surprisingly upbeat-yet-melancholy way. You really won’t see anything else like it.

The Power of the Dog

Year released: 2021
Director: Jane Campion

Jane Campion’s first feature since 2009’s Bright Star is a subtle spin on sibling rivalry, repressed emotions and rural living. Based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, its story dials back to 1920s Montana and into the world of the ranch-owning Burbank brothers, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons). The more bookish of the two, George manages the business while the rough-hewn Phil can more typically be found castrating cattle. 

When George meets and marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst), widowed mother to sensitive teen Pete (Kodi Smit-McPhee), it sends Phil into an apoplectic rage. Soon, he’s brutally haranguing Rose, who starts to self-medicate with booze, and ominously befriending Pete. But there’s more to this story than jealousy and rage, as Campion drops hints about hidden love from the past that might well be a dangerous thing in cowboy country. 

Beautifully filmed (with New Zealand doubling for the States), The Power Of The Dog is surely Campion’s most elegant movie since The Portrait Of A Lady or even The Piano. True, it has a tendency to meander and lands Last Night In Soho’s Thomasin McKenzie with an underwritten role. But at its heart is a brooding Cumberbatch, offering one of the shrewdest performances of his career. The Road’s Smit-McPhee also impresses, especially as his character grows more important in the film’s final, unexpected third.

Passing

Year released: 2021
Director: Rebecca Hall

Passing was a hit on the film festival circuit – the period drama stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as mixed-race childhood friends who reunite in adulthood and become obsessed with one another’s lives. Set in New York City in the ’20s, both women ‘pass’ as white, but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line. The directorial debut from actor Rebecca Hall, the movie is shot in black and white and based on the novel of the same name by Nella Larsen.

The Harder They Fall

Year released: 2021
Director: Jeymes Samuel

It’s estimated that a quarter of cowboys were Black, but you’d never know it from Hollywood westerns, which so whitewashed American history that Mel Brooks found provocative humor in having a Black man holding the reins in 1974’s Blazing Saddles. Like Mario Van Peebles’ 1993 oater Posse, The Harder They Fall by Jeymes Samuel (aka London singer/songwriter The Bullits) looks to change things up and have a blast doing it, with its starry Black cast trading shots in thrilling sequences of stylized violence set to quality music.

Many of the larger-than-life characters in The Harder They Fall are historical figures. But Samuel and his co-writer Boaz Yakin (Now You See Me, 2012’s Safe) aren’t past playing fast and loose with history themselves, albeit in less harmful ways. So what we have here is a fictional revenge tale that entangles lives that, in some cases, never did cross, as Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) – aka Deadwood Dick – reconvenes his old gang, including former flame Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), to take down fearsome outlaw Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). Only Buck has reteamed with his own posse – ‘Treacherous’ Trudy Smith (Regina King), Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield), and more. Also in the volatile mix is legendary US Marshal Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo). An almighty gunfight is on the blood-rimmed horizon…

Inside

Year released: 2021
Director: Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham’s Inside isn’t your normal comedy special. Made and released during the Coronavirus pandemic, Inside is unlike anything else during the same period. It starts off laugh-out-loud funny, with some great songs about white women’s Instagram profiles and Facetiming with your parents. However, it soon looks inward, with Burnham addressing depression, turning 30, Jeff Bezos, and a growing discontent with the internet. We won’t spoil anything more, but the overall experience is a thought-provoking film that will have you rethinking your relationship with being inside for months on end…

Fear Street Trilogy

Year released: 2021
Director: Leigh Janiak

A popcorn-friendly horror romp, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is a colorful addition to Netflix’s catalog. Kiana Madeira leads the cast as Deena, a high schooler who lives in Shadyside (AKA “Shittyside”), a village afflicted by a severe case of serial killers. Every few years, a Shadysider goes on a murderous rampage, and Deena and her ex girlfriend, Alex, get caught in the mystery of why the village is seemingly cursed.

Fear Street will delight anyone wanting to sink into some ‘90s nostalgia or simply enjoy a Saturday night slasher. An R-Rated adaptation of R. L. Stine’s novels, it has been made with teenage sleepovers, squeamish first dates, and every other popcorn-friendly situation in mind. Not one to miss – and the two sequels are just as good as the first, so well worth watching, too.

Army of the Dead

Year released: 2021
Director: Zack Snyder

Following Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Snyder is back with a heist movie with an undead twist. Army of the Dead follows a group of mercenaries sent into a zombie-ridden Las Vegas, where they need to nab a huge cash prize before the city gets nuked. The problem is, these aren’t your regular shambling living dead – they’re fast, strong, and organized… and there’s even a zombie tiger in the mix. 

The massive cast includes Dave Bautista, Omari Hardwick,  Ana de la Reguera, Ella Purnell, and Matthias Schweighöfer. There’s already a prequel movie and animated series in the works, too, so there’s plenty more to come if this two and a half hours of zombie slaying action just isn’t enough.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Year released: 2021
Directors: Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are credited as producers here, but as with Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, their fingerprints are all over this extremely enjoyable Netflix animation. As well as sharing a visual DNA with their madcap CG toon Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is as irreverently funny as 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie. And, like Spider-Verse, it has a unique visual style that rewards close inspection.

It follows the titular family of four (plus pug), as teenage daughter Katie (Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson) prepares to leave home for film school. She’s content to fly, but dad Rick (Danny McBride) spies a chance to mend their ailing relationship by driving her, cross-country, to her dorm room, along with mum Linda (Maya Rudolph) and brother Aaron (voiced by Rianda).

The White Tiger

Year released: 2021
Director: Ramin Bahrani

A vibrant rags-to-riches tale set in metropolitan India it may be, but Ramin Bahrani’s darkly comic drama shares more in common with Parasite than it ever does with Slumdog Millionaire. Adapted from Aravind Adiga’s 2008 Booker-winning bestseller of the same name, The White Tiger stars Adarsh Gourav as lowly chauffeur Balram, whose eyes are opened to the metaphorical ‘chicken coop’ that keeps the have-nots in their place, while the wealthy thrive. The novel’s rich social commentary still resonates in this cinematic adaptation. This one easily earns a place among the best Netflix movies going.

Malcolm & Marie

Year released: 2021
Director: Sam Levinson

John David Washington and Zendaya play the eponymous couple in this stylish black and white movie about a director and his partner whose relationship is tested on the night of Malcolm’s latest movie’s premiere. Director Sam Levinson is known for creating the HBO show Euphoria, in which Zendaya also stars, and when production on the series halted due to COVID-19, Zendaya and Levinson discussed making a feature together instead. 

The result is Malcolm & Marie, an intimate movie that you will either love or despise. One Total Film reviewer gave the movie five stars, another two stars. Whether you can or cannot stand this Netflix flick, there’s no denying Washington and Zendaya give superb performances. 

Pieces of a Woman

Year released: 2020
Director: Kornél Mundruczó

You may recognize Vanessa Kirby from her brilliant turn as Princess Margaret on The Crown. In Pieces of a Woman, she’s equally brilliant, giving a stunning performance as a woman struggling with the trauma and grief of losing her newborn baby. 

The film co-stars Shia LaBeouf, and is directed by Kornél Mundruczó. Not one to be watched lightly, especially with an almost 30-minute long, one-take birth scene. Kirby, throughout, gives a stunning performance, which has earned her an Oscar nomination. And quite rightly.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 

Year released: 2020
Director: George C. Wolfe

Containing Chadwick Boseman’s final performance, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom stars Viola Davis as the eponymous Ma Rainey, a singer known as the “Mother of the Blues.” Set across the course of one afternoon in 1927, tensions rise as Ma Rainey challenges her manager and producer – while Boseman’s Levee, a trumpeter, has ambitious plans of his own. The film is adapted from the August Wilson play of the same name, and Denzel Washington produces. 

The film is swept along by its two potent central performances, Davis generating hefty diva-power with her proud, obstinate, blues-preaching Ma, determined not to be reduced to a ripped-off voice. Boseman’s wiry, angry Levee brings the film’s real charge, however, giving every rippling horn improv, fierce God-taunting rant, and soft-shoe shuffle the urgency of a man racing to make his mark with his art. The desperate, eloquent force of his performance gives this muscular film added punch and poignancy.

Mank

Year released: 2020
Director: David Fincher

David Fincher’s long-awaited biographical drama about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, Mank, has been a long time coming. Fincher’s father Jack wrote the script for the movie back in the ’90s, but the project didn’t come to fruition until last year. It follows Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he writes Citizen Kane, as well as his relationships with newspaper tycoon WIlliam Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) and Hearst’s mistress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried). 

Oldman and Seyfried are both excellent, careers highs that should be showered in awards glory. Plus, this is Fincher’s first movie since 2014’s Gone Girl – the director brings everything to Mank, edited to perfection and becoming one of Hollywood’s finest love-letters to itself.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

Year released: 2019
Director: Vince Gilligan

“Only you can decide what’s best for you, Jesse.” Those words, said during the opening moments of El Camino, epitomize the character’s journey through Breaking Bad – the show-stopping series that charted the rise and fall of Walter White. El Camino continues Jesse’s journey beyond the finale, offering a sendoff for the beloved former meth cook.

El Camino could have fallen apart quite easily, yet Aaron Paul’s intense portrayal of a man suffering PTSD holds everything together. He perfectly slips back into Jesse’s shoes, making the time spent between the series ending and El Camino’s release fade away. Thanks to Paul’s gravitas, the movie feels like a satisfying closure for the character. El Camino, then, offers a final farewell to some of the greatest characters ever to appear on television screens. And Jesse, poor Jesse, finally gets the closing chapter he deserves. 

His House

Year released: 2020
Director: Remi Weekes

His House arrives is an excellent horror that’s best watched on Halloween, though can be enjoyed any time of the year. The story revolves around two immigrants who flee their war-torn country for a better life in England. However, they are given a new home that’s invaded by a certain… presence. 

This one’s a timely tale that’s anchored by two superb central performances by Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu. We’ll leave the rest for you to discover, but this is one haunted house horror you won’t want to miss.

• The best Netflix comedies
• The best Netflix thrillers
• The best Netflix action movies

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Year released: 2020
Director: Aaron Sorkin

In September 1969, seven members of the radical left were lumped together and charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot; the charges related to anti-Vietnam War and countercultural protests held in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. An eighth defendant, Bobby Seale (played here by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), was also bundled into this “all-star team” of revolutionaries by Richard Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell.

Aaron Sorkin could have directed this as a straightforward courtroom drama. However, thanks to a heavy-weight cast (Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt) this is as gripping as they come. Trial of the Chicago 7 makes for an emotionally tough watch – though an exhilarating one too, given the torque of Sorkin’s talk. What really resonates are the shocking parallels to the current political landscape, the death of George Floyd, and the ensuing protests that were met this summer with tear gas.

Enola Holmes

Year released: 2020
Director: Harry Bradbeer

Meet the little sister of Sherlock and Mycroft; charming, witty, and in a whole lot of trouble. Join the rambunctious Enola Holmes as she journeys across London in an attempt to solve, not one, but two mysteries. Stranger Things actor Millie Bobby Brown is delightful as the eponymous heroine, and the fourth-wall-breaking movie is the perfect light-hearted escape for anyone stuck at home. 

The movie also unites Brown with another Netflix star, The Witcher‘s Henry Cavill, who offers a new take on Sherlock that rivals Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch’s versions, even though his screen time is minimal. It’s all surprisingly charming – and well worth a watch on Netflix.

The Devil All the Time

Year released: 2020
Director: Antonio Campos

It’s not hard to imagine the scorchingly hot cast of Netflix’s The Devil All The Time attracting, then traumatizing, an unsuspecting young audience. Part-time superheroes Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, and Sebastian Stan lead this stacked ensemble – yet director Antonio Campos’ (Afterschool, Simon Killer) adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s novel couldn’t be further removed from the breezy, mainstream comic-book fare. 

A sprawling Southern Gothic drama set in post-war Ohio, around the epicenter of a town called Knockemstiff, TDATT’s time-hopping story begins with Willard Russell (Skarsgård) returning from World War 2 and starting a family with Charlotte (Haley Bennett). This movie’s a harrowing experience – but a worthwhile one, if you can stomach it. Plus, once you’ve watched this one, be sure to read our ending explained piece with the director.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Year released: 2020
Director: Charlie Kaufman

Based on Iain Reid’s acclaimed novel of the same name, Charlie Kaufman’s latest movie I’m Thinking of Ending Things follows a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who – despite having second thoughts about her current relationship – travels with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) on their secluded farm. However, this is no normal family visit: proceedings soon to sinister as the woman becomes self-reflective and they turn nasty.

From the creative mind of the man behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a psychological thriller that will fry your nerves and leave you questioning what is real and what isn’t. Top tip: don’t believe everything you see… Certainly one of the best Netflix movies streaming right now.

Atlantics

Year released: 2019
Director: Mati Diop

A spooky love story set in Senegal. A 17-year-old named Ada has fallen in love with a young construction worker, Souleiman, who one day disappears at sea and ides. Those who were missing on the boat return to their old neighborhood to haunt those left behind, with some hoping to wreak revenge for being underpaid. Souleiman, though, has other plans.

There’s something magical about Atlantics. A ghost story that’s not scary, but earnestly romantic and political comment on poor working and living conditions in Senegal. The cinematography is beautiful, and Mati Diop’s direction is superb. Critics have found it hard to categorize, and you can see why.

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

Year released: 2017
Director: Noah Baumbach

Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller star in Noah Baumbach’s remarkable intergenerational comedy-drama about three siblings (Sandler, Stiller, and Elizabeth Marvel) trying to navigate life in the shadow of their father (Dustin Hoffman). As they contend with him, each other, and their families, they find their lives taking unexpected turns. 

If you’ve seen Baumbach’s previous movies, such as The Squid and the Whale or Greenberg, you’ll know what you’re getting here: a quirky comedy with emotional, dramatic elements, and some darn good performances too. He’s also co-written several of Wes Anderson’s movie scripts, including The Life Aquatic and Fantastic Mr. Fox. And yes, you better believe it, Adam Sandler can act, when he’s given a half-decent script (see Punch-Drunk Love for further proof). 

Okja

Year released: 2017
Director: Bong Joon Ho

Bong Joon-ho directs a sci-fi adventure movie with overt references to the modern food industry. Starring Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, and a cast of insanely talented actors, Okja caused a lot of discussion and debate at the time of its release, especially around the ethics of meat production. It also showed that companies like Netflix could make a success – and a thumping one – of left-field creative choices, as long as they do it with confidence. And Bong Joon-ho and co have that in plentiful supply. 

Its bold and inventive storyline, great action, and eye-popping visuals make this a delightful movie. Also, who needs an excuse to watch anything with Tilda Swinton in it? Plus, its Bong Joon-ho… you know you’re in good hands when this Oscar-winning director’s on board.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Year released: 2018
Directors: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

In one of Netflix’s largest coups, the streaming service produced a Coen brothers project. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – which was initially going to be a television show – consists of six short films, each detailing a story from the American West. Which makes this not one Coen movie, but technically Coen movies all wrapped up into one. And Coen movies are, as cinema aficionados know, quality (well, most of them). 

While you might not take a night to go watch a series of shorts at the cinema, firing it up at home and making yourself cozy on the sofa is easy. Also, if you get interrupted, tired, or otherwise distracted, each movie won’t last longer than an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, so you can divvy it up if needed. 

Da 5 Bloods

Year released: 2020
Director: Spike Lee

Spike Lee has been reminding us that Black Lives Matter since the mid-’80s, but his cries have unsurprisingly taken on a renewed urgency in recent years: Chi-Raq and BlacKkKlansman are among his most potent works. Da 5 Bloods (opens in new tab) matches those films for righteous anger, telling the story of four US veterans (played by Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Norm Lewis) returning to Vietnam to locate and repatriate the remains of their squad leader (played by Chadwick Boseman). 

There’s also the little matter of finding a trunk of gold bullion they buried during the war – it was intended to pay locals for their help against the Viet Cong, but when it went down with a CIA plane, our heroes took it for themselves. This is a frequently fierce, fascinating picture. The world needs it right now.

Marriage Story

Year released: 2019
Director: Noah Baumbach

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson play a couple looking to get a divorce. He’s a controlling theatre director; she’s an actress looking to break out into the movies. Together, they are a mess whose only real bind remains their son. 

Marriage Story (opens in new tab) really is a warts-and-all piece of filmmaking, with all the horrible details of divorce – having to look for lawyers, questioning who gets to keep the child, parents who seemingly go out of their way to worsen the situation – being portrayed on screen. That realness comes from director Noah Baumbach’s impeccable screenplay, which he wrote after completing his own divorce. Not one to watch if your relationship isn’t emotionally stable. 

The Irishman

Year released: 2019
Director: Martin Scorsese

Scorsese’s adaptation of I Heard You Paint Houses – Charles Brandt’s book chronicling the life of mob underling Frank Sheeran – took its time getting here, and takes a fair amount of time to watch. Packed with a show-stopping cast, Robert DeNiro leads the show as the former truck driver who falls in with a Pennsylvania crime family led by Joe Pesci’s Russell Bufalino. 

The Irishman (opens in new tab) is a classic Scorsese pic that’s all the better for its three-and-a-half-hour runtime, which delves deep into a previously-unexplored territory: the loneliness of a lifelong crook. Alongside Al Pacino as Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa, Pesci and De Niro receive two of their meatiest parts to date. The movie’s CGI de-aging techniques will wow you.

Roma

Year released: 2018
Director: Alfonso Cuarón

All filmmakers put themselves in their work. It’s unavoidable. Alfonso Cuaron brings his past to the fore in his opus, Roma, using his upbringing on the Mexico City streets as inspiration. An entirely no-name cast makes this exhilarating movie shine, with a story that follows live-in housekeepers for a middle-class family. Set during the ’70s, Roma spins on ideas of class and culture and places them inside some of the most breathtaking shots you’ll likely ever watch on Netflix. 

After the likes of 2013’s Gravity – a complex space-set thriller hung together by cutting-edge CGI – Roma is a breath of fresh air. A simplistic dive that’s already being heralded as a masterpiece, and one of the best movies ever made, why wouldn’t you want to see that?

I Lost My Body

Year released: 2019
Director: Jérémy Clapin

A French animation about a severed hand trying to reconnect with its owner is a darkly funny adventure drama that’s packed with pathos. After escaping a Parisian hospital, the independent hand traverses the city – fending off oncoming traffic, erratic pigeons, and feral rats along the way – in an impossible quest to rejoin the body it once belonged to, that of clumsy loner Naoufel.

I Lost My Body is a study of scaled-down, ground-level danger, with great comedy found in the detail. It’s also a meditation on fractured identity, heightened by the hand’s poignant hope for reconciliation. Director/co-writer Jeremy Clapin sensitively combines melancholy with an ultimately life-affirming message.

Dolemite Is My Name

Year released: 2019
Director: Craig Brewer

Eddie Murphy plays Rudy Ray Moore, the iconic actor who created the phenomenon that was Dolemite, a kung-fu fighting pimp who released comedy albums and movies. Dolemite Is My Name tells of Moore’s struggles to get famous, and then, even when being famous among the black community, the trials that he had to overcome to get his movie made.

Murphy has rarely been better than in Dolemite Is My Name. This is his movie, with the comic actor carrying every scene – and it’s a tragedy that he was not showered with gold at the Oscars. Wesley Snipes as director D’Urville Martin is also excellent.

Beasts of No Nation

Year released: 2015
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

One of Netflix’s very first productions was a bold proposition indeed; a war movie in a fictional African country, performed for long stretches in Twi (a dialect of the Akan language spoken in Ghana), about a child soldier groomed for violence by a simultaneously terrifying and magnetic commandant. Beasts of No Nation plays out in just as bleak a manner as the premise suggests, leaving the viewer morally conflicted and emotionally exhausted.

In a movie that’s equal parts thrilling and harrowing, Idris Elba delivers an absolute masterclass in his role as the commandant. You watch him groom a child for war and perform several war crimes, and yet, somehow, you still find yourself wanting to root for him. And no less of a revelation is the young Abraham Attah as Agu. It’s all directed, written, and shot by Cary Joji Fukunaga, who’s gone on to direct No Time to Die, and you can see why Bond’s producers liked him. 

Private Life

Year released: 2018
Director: Tamara Jenkins

Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn play a married couple who are desperately trying to have a baby. As time is running out for them, they try to go for various methods of assisted reproduction, but when college dropout Sadie suddenly enters their life, everything changes. It’s a mix of comedy and drama, with that typical sort of existentialism that only seems to exist in New York-set movies.

In many ways, Private Life’s a combination of your archetypal New York indie movie and your archetypal middle-aged conflict indie movie, but director Tamara Jenkins (2007’s The Savages) infuses it with her special brand of charm. Also, Giamatti is in vintage form with Hahn delivering a great performance, too. Like with so many of Netflix’s successes, the strength of this movie lies in the script’s understated authenticity rather than reliance on the sensational.

Mudbound

Year released: 2017
Director: Dee Rees

Set in the post-WWII Southern US, Mudbound is a dramatic thriller about the racial tensions and cultural segregation that still thrived at that time, almost a century after the abolition of slavery. It follows a cast of characters both white and black, as they navigate the often volatile society of the South, while at the same time dealing with the traumatic aftermath of World War II. 

Mudbound is a war drama akin to a progressive rock song, adding layers and elements throughout, culminating in a true epic as all its strands converge dramatically. Aside from its cultural relevance today with increased racial tensions in recent years, it’s a damn good movie in its own right and marks both Jason Mitchell and Garrett Hedlund’s finest performances to date. This one’s a mammoth. 

The Other Side of the Wind

Year released: 2018
Director: Orson Welles

A previously-lost Orson Welles film, The Other Side of the Wind features Jake Hannaford, an elderly Hollywood director, hosting a screening for his new movie, also titled The Other Side of the Wind. The movie-within-a-movie spoofs both the Golden Age of Hollywood and the experimental cinema that punctured much of the late-1960s. The kicker, too, is that the audience is told straight away that this is Hannaford’s final day on Earth. Not a bad way to start a movie, that’s for sure.

Not only is this a piece of movie history (having previously remained incomplete after Welles’ death), The Other Side of the Wind is unmissable for several reasons besides that. It’s a fantastic pastiche of modern and classic cinema, and is Orson Welles giving something new to the medium he dedicated his life towards. It also comes coupled with a documentary, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, which is just as endlessly fascinating and re-watchable as the source material.

The Little Prince

Year released: 2015
Director: Mark Osborne

Netflix doesn’t only focus on mature-themed movies, even though the freedom from R-ratings gives it plenty of scope for swearing, violence, and sex. Here you’ll find a precious little animated movie based on a French novella from 1943, about a young lonely girl whose imagination is transported to another world through magical stories told by her eccentric neighbor. As she embarks on this journey, she discovers a world of wonder invisible to the naked eye, changing both her, him, and the girl’s mother in the process.

In an age where cynicism almost seems like a default emotion, be it in daily life, politics, or even cinema, The Little Prince is refreshingly heartfelt. It’s not a perfect movie in terms of pacing, but by golly is it pretty. It’s clean, wholesome fun for the family, and we can never have too much of that.

Gerald’s Game

Year released: 2017
Director: Mike Flanagan

Directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House (opens in new tab) and Doctor Sleep (opens in new tab)), Gerald’s Game is a thriller with a twist: the protagonist is handcuffed to a bed for almost the entire movie. Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood play a couple who rent a secluded cabin to spice up their marriage. Shortly after handcuffing Gugino’s Jessie to the bed as part of a sex game, Gerald suddenly dies. Tied to the very sturdy bed, and with no one else close enough to hear her cries for help, Jessie faces a fight to survive.

Claustrophobic thrillers like this can often be hit-and-miss, but this one’s in the former category. It’s led almost entirely by Gugino’s intense performance, with the ever-classy Greenwood pretty much the only other cast member. The quality of acting elevates a well-executed genre movie. 

High Flying Bird

Year released: 2019
Director: Steven Soderbergh

In a lockout in a pro basketball league, a young and ambitious sports agent named Ray finds himself at the center of a pitched battle for power between the players and the owners. Representing a supremely skilled young player, he decides to fight what he sees as a system of suppressing the voice of predominantly black players by the teams’ owners, who are mostly white, in an escalating high-stakes game of ratings, money, and power. 

If you’re a sucker for a sports drama, you’ll love High Flying Bird. Like the movie correctly states, basketball is the sexiest sport on Earth, and there is some great action here peppered in among strong conversation scenes. It’s all directed by Steven Soderbergh, who has retired more times than Michael Jordan but just can’t stay away. Plus, it’s all shot on an iPhone.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Non-Netflix original available in US/UK

Year released: 1975
Director: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his Knights of the Round Table ride off in search of the titular goblet. Well, it’d be more accurate to say that they pretend to ride on horses while their servants provide the coconut-based sound effects. The medieval setup makes way for some of Monty Python’s most memorable jokes; the Knights who say “ni”, the French soldiers who sling insults at Arthur and his knights, the entire “‘Tis but a scratch” sequence… There are loads.  

Not every comedy appeals to every palette. Some people like broader physical humor, others might prefer satire. When it comes to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it’s tough to imagine who wouldn’t enjoy it. It’s got everything. Slapstick shenanigans, fourth-wall-breaking, innuendo, deadpan delivery, and surrealism all play a part. Watching it today, you can spot styles and ideas pinched by later comedians, but no one does this mishmash of absurdity better than this bunch. After all, a great joke is only told the first time once.  

Shéhérazade

Year released: 2018
Director: Jean-Bernard Marlin

A 17-year-old offender, Zachary, gets out of jail in his home city of Marseilles and immediately gets back into cahoots with his old gang to continue his life of crime, which includes pimping out sex workers. One day, though, he meets Shéhérazade, a young sex worker. He falls for her, and gradually becomes increasingly involved with her, which causes all sorts of conflict as his life escalates out of control.

Yes, this movie navigates a well-trodden narrative path, but Shéhérazade more than earns your two free evening hours. There’s French grit, simmering tension, and echoes of other French dramas involving outcast youths involved in crime (La Haine springs to mind). Plus a gorgeous neon-tinged visual palette mixes with the squalor the characters find themselves desperately trying to escape, with a strong soundtrack and confident performances from the young cast. 

13th

Year released: 2016
Director: Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay turned heads with Selma, the director’s brilliant look at Martin Luther King’s march on Selma. Two years later, DuVernay returned with the documentary 13th, named after the Thirteen Amendment of the United States Constitution, banning slavery throughout the country. However, the filmmaker argues that slavery has taken on another form: the incarceration of freedmen into prisons.

What follows is one of Netflix’s most powerful documentaries, with 13th showing just how people of color have continued to suffer under unfair and unjust laws and policing. Duvernay’s unflinching look at the prison system – which highlights just how much some companies are making from keeping people locked up – was nominated for an Oscar, and rightly so.

The Old Guard

Year released: 2020
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

The Old Guard (opens in new tab) sees Charlize Theron playing an eternal warrior who’s fed up with the world. Despite her best efforts, it just keeps getting worse. Plus, due to camera phones and modern technology, it’s getting harder and harder to hide her true nature from those who want to use it for nefarious purposes. Add to the mix a new immortal fighter, played by KiKi Layne, who has no idea of her true powers, and Theron’s Andy is in for one wild time. 

Netflix’s attempt at big-budget superhero action may not quite be Marvel’s standards, but it’s certainly a thrilling watch. Theron makes for a bad-ass warrior who anyone would follow into battle, while the ending leaves The Old Guard open for a sequel. IF you’re into comic-book action, then The Old Guard is for you.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

Year released: 2017
Director: Macon Blair

From the producer of Green Room, and starring the criminally-underrated Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood – who has mastered the art of the offbeat outcast character in recent years (just watch Dirk Gently, Maniac, or Wilfred for proof) – you might assume I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore will a be a left-field movie. And you’d be correct. It follows the increasingly violent misadventures of Ruth and her martial-arts-obsessed neighbor Tony as they track down a burglar who stole Ruth’s grandmother’s silver spoon. 

Equally humorous and cynical, I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore is one of the best Netflix Original movies because it echoes many people’s disaffection with the world. It is an often-hilarious take on someone who decides to stand up against an increasingly self-centered society… albeit with surprisingly bloody results.

The Two Popes

Year released: 2019
Director: Fernando Meirelles

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later Pope Francis, and Pope Benedict XVI have an interesting relationship. There were disagreements in the way the Church should be run, with Pope Benedict having more classical beliefs. And yet, Benedict also became the first Pope to renounce his position since 1415, with Pope Francis taking over. 

What happened? That’s the question this wholesome movie about faith attempts to answer, painting a pleasant portrait of two men at odds coming to an understanding. Even if you’re not religious, The Two Popes makes for a light watch that’s enhanced drastically by two incredible central performances: Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis and Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict. They were both rightly nominated for Oscars.

Got a different streaming service? Then check out the best movies on Disney Plus and the best movies on Amazon Prime.

The post 47 Best Netflix movies to watch now appeared first on Game News.

So whether you’re finding more battle royale games, crafting games, shooters or more, we’ve listed some of the best games like Fortnite below.  We’ve made sure to include a lot of variety, so it’s not only battle royale experiences (though there’s obviously a few of those), but games that can fill similar roles as a social hub, or provide similar gameplay thrills. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find something to enjoy in our selection of the 10 best games like Fortnite below!

Apex Legends

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

This new addition comes from the developers of Titanfall 2 (opens in new tab), Respawn. But don’t expect to be piloting giant mechs or doing any wall-running in Apex Legends, as you play as one of ten Legends, each with their own special ability. Think Overwatch (opens in new tab) meets battle royale: these characters are as distinct as they get, with one that can call in an artillery strike and another that can send out a drone to heal allies. You play in groups of three, so there’s always someone to watch your back – but you don’t have to stick together if you don’t want to. The good news is if it’s just you and the people from your team left standing, you all win – no grizzly betrayal/fight to the death necessary.

Call of Duty: Warzone

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Even if you don’t own Call of Duty Modern Warfare, you can jump into Warzone; this 150-player battle royale is based on Modern Warfare’s multiplayer but with some added quirks. Killstreaks can be bought, you can 1v1 players in a small cage match to respawn, and you can even get your multiplayer loadout via an airdrop. What’s even better is that Warzone has full crossplay, so you can play with your pals no matter what platform they’re on.

PUBG: Battlegrounds

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Before Fortnite came along, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds aka PUBG, was the king of the Battle Royale genre. It has the same 99 v 1 gameplay, but it’s much more serious, realistic, and intense than Fortnite. PUBG is now free-to-play too, allowing players from all-platforms to come together and fight it out for survival across five maps. PUBG is for the crowd who like a touch of realism in their battle royale games, and don’t want enemies to build a fort whenever they’re shot at.

Halo Infinite

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

The long wait was largely worth it – despite some understandable quibbles about the progression system that are already being rectified, Halo Infinite has proven itself a solid spiritual successor to classics like Halo 3 and Reach. Though so far the Battle Royale mode hasn’t materialised, the multiplayer itself includes huge arenas for dozens of players, colourful weapons, and a robust multiplayer experience that’s easy to pick up after just a couple of matches. Oh and better yet, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play and supports cross-play.

Ring of Elysium

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC

What’s great about Ring of Elysium is that it has the seriousness and FPS quality that you’re going to find in PUBG, but with a touch of the silliness of Fortnite. Real cat in a bubble-windowed carry backpack anyone? Yes, all of us. Not only does it have a seriously amazing character creation engine (seriously, I could tweak those dials all day), but it’s also an incredibly solid battle royale game, that’ll have you running from the ash storm on your BMX across Europa or aboard a skimobile on Dione. We’re obsessed, and so should you be. 

Minecraft

Price: $19.99
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

Minecraft has been doing Hunger Games/Battle Royale/Last Man Standing deathmatches for years, and there are still dozens of servers dedicated to such a mode on PC. Communities like Mineplex are the best for offering balanced and competitive rounds set in the wonderfully blocky Minecraft world. Seeing as destructibility and building are key selling points of Minecraft in general, it was only a matter of time until Battle Royale snuck in. Of course, the combat is never going to compare to the fluidity of Fortnite, but when it’s as adorable as Minecraft it’s always going to be great fun. And, it’s kid-friendly!

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Price: $19.99
Platform(s) PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Wobble all you like, just don’t fall down! Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a Total Wipeout/Takeshi’s Castle-inspired Battle Royale platformer in which dozens of players precariously totter their way to victory. A brightly-coloured obstacle course means that while you don’t always directly fight, you are in competition, either racing to the finish, trying to outlast other players, or playing sporty minigames against each other.

Worms Rumble

Price: $10.99
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

Worms isn’t turn-based anymore, it’s a full-on third person multiplayer shooter. Thirty-two players, a big arena, and all the classic artillery and weapons from the original Worms games, now with the fuses burning away in real time in Worms Rumble. For those who found themselves enjoying the cartoony art style and chaotic combat of Fortnite, this feels like a natural relation. Just don’t pet the sheep!

Fortnite: Save the World

Price: $39.99
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

Instead of getting a game like Fortnite, why not just get more Fortnite? Save the World is premium release that predates the battle royale side to the game. It’s a co-op tower defense, letting you and your buddies build up fortifications before flooding the zone with enemies to take down together. It’s a lot of fun, and is deserving of your time if you want to take on different adventures with Fortnite’s core art style and its shooting/building mechanics. 

Among Us

Price: Varies by Platform
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, IOS, Android

Among Us isn’t a Battle Royale shooter – there’s definitely no guns beyond the occasional little animations that appear when you trigger kills, and crafting doesn’t come up either. Still, it’s a perfect substitute for the social element of Fortnite, a form of online coffee shop or soccer field to meet with friends and just have fun. Among Us is famously a game about sneaking, suspect gameplay, where a team of little astronauts are all running around to get their shuttle shipshape… but at least one of you is a secret killer, trying to murder the rest and avoid accusation by pinning the blame on others. It’s great fun, and while the price varies from console to console, it’s always pretty cheap and is even free on certain platforms.

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If you’ve managed to grab a PS5 stock update then these are the games you’re going to at least want to add to your wishlist. After all, what good is a PS5 if you can’t make your PS5-less friends jealous by playing all the exclusive games you can’t play anywhere else.

Because we’re still relatively early in the console’s life cycle, which means the majority of PlayStation games are cross-gen, meaning they launch simultaneously on PS5 and PS4. Further narrowing the pool of true-blue PS5 exclusives are cross-platform games, which are available on Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. All that being said, there is an ever-growing list of actual, honest-to-goodness PS5 exclusives that you truly can’t play on any other platform, and we’ve collated every single one of them into this handy guide.

Read on for all the PS5 exclusives available now or confirmed.

Out now

PS5 exclusives available now

Astro’s Playroom

Astro’s Playroom may seem like a mere tech demo to showcase the new PS5 features, from ray tracing to the adaptive triggers of the DualSense PS5 controller, but that assumption couldn’t be farther from reality. This pocket-sized adventure (around 3 hours of length, with potentially more for the platinum) is an endearing tribute to the PlayStation franchise, featuring callbacks to previous consoles and games. But it also manages to provide a platforming experience that is charming as it is polished, and the fact that it comes pre-loaded with the console means that you can, and should, start playing right away while you finish setting everything up.

Demon’s Souls

All stories start somewhere. FromSoftware’s legacy began 11 years ago with Demon’s Souls, one of the most intriguing and challenging titles of the PS3 era. Now, under Bluepoint’s vision (the studio that brought back Shadow of the Colossus) the beginning of the ‘soulsborne’ genre gets the remake treatment on PS5. This is the same experience we remember, but it’s almost indistinguishable over a decade later. With only a few touches here and there in terms of gameplay, Demon’s Souls’ biggest change comes from the way it looks and plays on this new console generation – it’s a remarkable PS5 launch game that you shouldn’t miss.

Destruction AllStars

Destruction AllStars introduces itself as a new IP of multiplayer competitive racing. Don’t picture it as regular races, however – this is akin to the battle arenas of the Twisted Metal series or the collisions that you would see in a Burnout game, packed with a cast of 16 distinct characters. Perhaps its biggest twist comes when your car is destroyed: you will automatically enter a third person view of your racer and move them around the map as if it was a different game. Its player base isn’t as active as it was at launch, but if you can find a match in a timely matter it can be a fun way to spend a couple hours with your PS5.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is as triumphant a return as they come for the titular duo; a visual showcase for the PS5, a well-written story right up there with the best Pixar movies, and simply a blast of a platformer from front to back. If you want something to show off what your PS5 can do, you can’t beat Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and it comes with the bonus of being an incredibly polished, well-made platformer/shooter even without considering its technical accomplishments.

Returnal

As stunningly beautiful as it is blisteringly challenging, Housemarque’s 2021 roguelike Returnal will test your patience at the same time as it challenges your expectations about what’s possible in the new generation. It makes full use of Sony’s new hardware to deliver a visual spectacle, buttery smooth performance, and a new level of immersion thanks to its creative utilization of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Returnal is another fantastic choice to wow your friends and family with as you show off your PS5, but don’t make them too jealous as you’ll likely need their support after you die for the thousandth time.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade

It’s an expanded and remastered version of one of 2020’s best RPGs, itself a remake of one of the best RPGs of all time, and you absolutely need to play it if you have a PS5. Make no mistake, this is more than just a simple remaster. Intergrade itself adds “classic” battle controls for the game’s normal difficulty mode, a photo mode, and improved frame rate and resolution. But the PS5-exclusive Yuffie DLC, formally titled Episode Intermission, is a whole new chapter where you get to play as Yuffie Kisaragi.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade is available as a free upgrade from the PS4 version, but Episode Intermission is a paid expansion unless you bought Intergrade as a standalone purchase.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

A beautifully remastered version of one of 2018’s best superhero games, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered takes an already great game and makes it better. Thanks to 4K resolution, ray tracing support, and a buttery smooth 60 FPS (in performance mode), swinging around New York City as Spider-Man and beating up goons is more satisfying than ever. The framerate boost is especially appreciated during fast-paced, high-intensity scenes, which let’s face it, make up about 90% of the game. Even if you’ve played the original game on PS4 already, be sure to pick up the remaster (it’s free if you own the game on PS4) and give it another go.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

If you fancy taking a stroll through an empty, totally haunted version of the Japanese capital, then Ghostwire: Tokyo is the PS5 exclusive for you. Although it is also available on PC, it’s a PS5 console exclusive, and really does look excellent on Sony’s latest console. You play as the last human in a Tokyo where all the other living things – bar some adorable dogs, cats, and tanooki – have been whisked away to the spirit world. You’ll need to rescue your sister and discover the stories of the spirits that still linger, trapped between worlds, all the while fending off all the horrific creatures that do roam the streets. It’s creepy, atmospheric, and a fantastic world to exist in.

Gran Turismo 7

PlayStation’s premium racing sim is back with Gran Turismo 7. Although it’s had a ropey launch with online and maintenance issues, and discussions around updates making the need for microtransactions slightly more prevalent, it’s still a fantastic racer. It’s a huge and utterly beautiful racing game that will no doubt earn it a position among the best PS5 games of all time eventually.

Upcoming

Upcoming PS5 exclusives

Forspoken

Release date: May 25, 2022

Forspoken seems like a highly ambitious project, even for prolific publisher Square Enix. It’s being developed by an all-star team of talent called Luminous Productions, formed from the dev team behind Final Fantasy 15. Better yet, Square Enix recruited Gary Whitta (of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story fame) and Amy Hennig (creative director on the first three Uncharted games) to build the world and write the story.

Forspoken stars a young woman named Frey from New York City, who celebrates her 21st birthday by being transported to the world of Athia, “where fantasies and nightmares are suddenly very real”, reads the Sony blog post. It’s coming sometime in Spring 2022 exclusively on PS5.

Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 is dropping exclusively on PS5 at some point in Summer 2023. Set in the world of Valisthea, the people there once lived in peace thanks to the crystal mountains found there, known as the Mothercrystals. But, that wasn’t meant to last, as there’s now a Blight spreading across the world. The story will revolve around humans called Dominants, who are able to control Eikons, which are deadly and incredibly powerful creatures. Gameplay wise, this will be an interesting change in combat style, with a more action-orientated focus.

Horizon Call of the Mountain

Horizon Call of the Mountain is an upcoming PSVR2-exclusive game based in the Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West universe and developed by Guerrilla Games. Main Horizon protagonist Aloy will be in the game in some form, but Horizon Call of the Mountain stars a brand new protagonist. If that isn’t enough to excite you, former Forbidden West world designer Chris James recently said Call of the Mountain will “change what AAA means for VR,” which is honestly almost too much hype for us to handle right now.

Spider-Man 2

Announced during the 2021 September PlayStation showcase last year, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will see the two Spider-Men – Peter Parker and Miles Morales – team up. There’s only been a teaser trailer so far and a loose 2023 release window, but we know we’ll be ready to swing through New York again when it drops.

PS4/PS5 exclusives

PS4 and PS5 cross-gen exclusives

God of War: Ragnarok

Coming in 2022

God of War: Ragnarok is that kind of sequel that any tidbit of news is poured over with a fervor. Following on the narrative from the 2018 God of War reboot, we’ll back with Kratos and Atreus ahead of the world-shattering Ragnarok event, as they search for answers – and allies. Various Norse Gods and monsters will try to stand in their way as they travel the Nine Realms sometime in 2022.

Horizon Forbidden West 

Aloy’s second adventure arrived in March 2022, taking her to lands anew. As the title suggests, Horizon Forbidden West sees Aloy heading west into locales like Las Vegas and San Francisco in search of the source of a blight that’s killing the Earth. What she finds are new tribes, fresh threats, but also friends old and new. It’s a brilliant tale in one of the most impressive and full open-worlds to date. 

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy: A Big Adventure launched as a launch title for PS5, but also dropped simultaneously on PS4. However, it’s definitely best experienced on the newer console as the game really looks fantastic, and utilises the haptic feedback in the Dualsense to great effect. It’s Sackboy’s first foray away from the LittleBigPlanet name too, so don’t expect the creative elements of that original series here. This is a stunning story-driven title, with support for co-op too. It’s inventive, playful, and utterly adorable, so well worth a play.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Arriving as a PS5 launch title, and also launching on PS4, this smaller Spider-Man story follows the titular Miles Morales as a direct sequel to the last PS4 Spider-Man game. He’s just got his powers, and he’s figuring out how to be his own version of the friendly neighbourhood superhero. Peter Parker is his mentor, but he has his own powers – including electric venom blasts, camouflage, and other gadgets. It’s set in the same world but with the focus being on Spanish Harlem, and Morales’ immediate friends and family. It might be a more compact story than the main Spider-Man entry, but Spider-Man: Miles Morales is probably more impactful. 

For more exciting PS5 titles check out the lists below:

• Upcoming PS5 games
• Best PS5 games
• PS5 launch games

The post PS5 exclusives: Top titles you can only play on PlayStation 5 appeared first on Game News.

The Halo series, first helmed by Bungie and now 343 Industries, is a top-tier shooter that brilliantly blends a unique story, a strong campaign, and excellent multiplayer mechanic. But don’t worry, there are other games that have similar elements to the Halo franchise, whether it’s rock-solid shooting, a riveting sci-fi campaign, or both. 

So we’ve gathered ten games like Halo that franchise lovers should try next. We’ve got iconic MMOs like Destiny 2 that has a brand-new DLC out right now, and excellent shooters from Respawn (the team behind Apex Legends). Every game on this list is a shooter, with some offering RPG elements and others delivering multiplayer experiences on-par with Halo Infinite. If you think we’ve missed any out, make sure you leave your suggestions in the comments below. Here are the 10 best games like Halo you can play right now.

Destiny 2

Developer: Bungie
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

Let’s start with the most obvious touchstone. Destiny 2 (opens in new tab) is a brilliant MMO looter shooter that’s clearly inspired by Bungie’s work. The expansive planetary vistas, the floaty jumping, the myriad alien enemies: Halo is in its DNA. But this is no simple clone – it’s one of the best shooters ever made in its own right. 

If you loved Halo’s campaigns, then Destiny 2 has several of its own, complete with climactic set pieces and some touching story beats. If it’s Halo’s multiplayer you crave, jump into the Crucible, where you’ll find high-octane, competitive matches across a number of classic game modes. Halo made the actual act of popping headshots feel spectacular, but Destiny 2, somehow, manages to best it. Never before have video game guns felt this good to handle, and targeting weak spots rewards you with a trail of damage numbers and a shower of sci-fi sparks.

The amount of things to do in Destiny 2, between Raids, small-squad Strikes and story missions, is nearly endless. Any Halo fan will find at least one thing they love here, and you can try most of it out in the free to play New Light addition. What have you got to lose? (Hundreds of hours, that’s what!)

Titanfall 2

Developer: Respawn
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

When it came out in 2016, Titanfall 2 (opens in new tab) had the best shooter campaign since a Halo game, and it still stands up to this day. It has more in common with Halo than just its high-tech sci-fi setting and powerful futuristic weapons: each story mission has its own theme and challenges, which varies the moment-to-moment action. A new enemy will transform your tactics, and make you think differently about the way you control your giant, hulking titan. Sometimes, you’ll be swarmed with foes, other times, you’ll battle intelligent bosses – and regularly, you’ll leap out of the cockpit to battle enemies on foot.

The fluid movement and vertical maps sometimes makes us think of Master Chief, too. Halo’s low-gravity jumping is replaced by ledge grabbing and wall-running here, but the results are just as glorious. The multiplayer community is, sadly, pretty spartan these days, but if you enjoyed Halo’s campaigns – who didn’t? – then Titanfall 2 is a must-play.

Doom Eternal 

Developer: iD Software
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch

When we think of Halo, we think of circle strafing through fairly open levels, dodging enemies and picking them off with well-placed shots. Doom Eternal (opens in new tab) is that formula on steroids. More enemies, more dodging, more bullets, and more alien guts. It is the best FPS you can play right now, and its combination of beefy weapons, expansive, varied maps and engrossing resource management – killing enemies in certain ways showers you in health, ammo or armor – pulls you through the story at breakneck speed.

It’s more hectic than Halo, and more difficult on default settings. As every wave of demons descends on you, you’ll have to quickly come up with a plan of action and position yourself so you don’t get caught out, hopping around the environment as you secure kills. The asymmetric multiplayer doesn’t hold a candle to Halo 3, but the brilliant campaign, with its inventive setting, varied enemies and powerful guns, is up there with the best of Bungie’s offerings.

Half-Life 2

Developer: Valve
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

Half-Life 2 isn’t just on this list for being one of the best shooters of all time. It’s here because its story captures the same feeling of exploration and wonder as the Halo series, albeit in a slightly more grounded setting. You’re not jetting between planets here, or gaping in awe at beautiful skyboxes. The stage is City 17, a gritty place policed by an authoritarian state, but each level still feels distinct and memorable, and gives you new ways to master the mechanics at your disposal.

It, like many of the Halo games, is also perfectly-paced, and it ramps up the challenge as it whisks you through the campaign to a worthy climax. Gordon Freeman is no Master Chief, and lacks the mobility of our Halo hero, but he’s a worthy star man nonetheless. Both, as it happens, are men of few words, and it’s up to you to imagine their personalities, which creates a bond between player and protagonist. Just don’t make us choose between the two.

Mass Effect: Andromeda 

Developer: BioWare
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

Hear us out. Mass Effect: Andromeda’s redeeming feature was its combat. Up until that point, Mass Effect combat was largely something you put up with so you could experience a captivating story and hop between planets, and at its worst, was downright tedious. But Andromeda’s flexible ability system made blasting alien foes feel slick, punchy, and responsive. Clearing a room of enemies was, for the first time, genuinely fun. As good as in a Halo game? Definitely not – but when you add in the talent of Bioware’s best writers, it’s certainly a galaxy worth exploring.

While most of the criticisms levelled at it were completely fair, there are some good stories to follow and majestic planets to explore. It’s fundamentally an RPG, which Halo is not, but if you like poking around alien structures, it will scratch a similar itch. Go for a Soldier class, which as its name suggests specialises in shooting stuff with rifles, and you’ll certainly see some similarities. Just don’t expect a masterpiece.

Outriders 

Developer: People Can Fly
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

It’s fun, it’s foul-mouthed, and it’s full of aliens. Outriders is an online-only co-op action RPG that gives you wicked weapons and punchy powers that make combat fun and frenetic. Like Destiny 2, you can pick a class for your character and choose how to travel along its specific skill tree, with endless build options for both your character and its weapons. Outriders is, in essence, a looter-shooter, with 30-40 hours of solid gameplay that will keep you hooked. There’s some rock-solid combat to enjoy here, even if the story isn’t all that interesting.

Rage 2

Developer: Bethesda
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

A game that has been forgotten all too quickly, Rage 2 (opens in new tab) is an addictive, relentless shooter that, like Halo, makes you think carefully about the guns at your disposal and adapt your arsenal to whatever new situation you face. You feel more powerful than Master Chief here thanks to a suite of whacky abilities – one is basically a force push that sends enemies flying, while another makes you punch the ground and sends enemies skywards. Weapons have fun alternate fire modes too, such as one that tethers enemies to a point in space, so you can crunch their bones against solid ceilings and walls. 

The setting, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, is nowhere near as interesting as Halo’s sci-fi world, but the levels have some decent verticality to them, encouraging you to double jump around to find collectibles. Plus, roaming the map in one of Rage 2’s vehicles can’t help but remind us of some of our favourite Halo moments.

Borderlands 3

Developer: Gearbox
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

Did you ever wish Halo had a bit more weapon variety? Borderlands 3 (opens in new tab) might be for you. It’s a solid shooter with a gun count that numbers in the billions. No, seriously: every gun you come across will feel completely different, and many will have whacky, bespoke abilities. There’s one called the boomerang that you can throw, and it will keep firing as it spins through the air. The Eridian Fabricator shoots, well, other guns, spawning piles of loot to pick through.

In tone, Borderlands couldn’t be further from Halo. It’s crass and classless, and much of its humor misses the mark. But its shooting is endlessly fun. Grab a couple of friends and you’ll speed through its sci-fi campaign, savouring the set pieces and comparing notes on who can find the most ridiculous shotgun.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Developer: MachineGames
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch

Dual wielding is, sadly, a feature no longer championed by Bungie. It hasn’t been in the series since Halo 3, and if you’re hankering for the feeling of having a plasma rifle in one hand, SMG in the other, then you’ll want to give Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (opens in new tab) a go. It’s an old-school shooter that lets you dual wield any two guns, with hilarious results. Our favorite combination? A silenced pistol in our left, so that we can sneak through enemy bases silently, popping headshots from the shadows, and a shotgun in our right for when, inevitably, it all goes wrong, and we need to start blasting.

Once you’re spotted in The New Colossus, your only option is to press forward, being aggressive with your movement, and keeping track of where other enemies are to ensure you don’t get flanked. Granted, killing Nazis is very different to killing aliens, but we find the combat has a similar, fast pace – and the credible acting means you’ll actually care about hero B.J. Blazkowicz’s story.

Quake Champions 

Developer: iD Software
Platforms: PC

An underrated multiplayer gem that harks back to some of the best times we’ve had in Halo. Bungie’s series was, at its heart, an attempt to make FPS games feel at home on console, and as such it took inspiration from some of the PC’s best shooters, such as…Quake. Champions, naturally, has the same heritage, and if you enjoy multiplayer in Halo then you’ll feel at home in its mobile, frantic team deathmatches.

Being good at Quake Champions requires the same traits as being good at Halo: namely, knowing the arenas you’re fighting in like the back of your hand – allowing you to predict enemy movements and ambush them – and knowing what weapon to use in any given situation. Mastering Champions’ arsenal isn’t easy, but once you’ve got to grips with the rocket launcher, shotgun, and tri-bolt, you’ll feel prepared for any eventually. Just be ready to keep moving at all times, and mash that jump button to bunny hop. 

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