HBO’s Sci-Fi Detective Series With a Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Officially #1 on Streaming

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Published Aug 18, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT

Like True Detective and Mare of Easttown, HBO's latest small-town mystery is captivating viewers

Image: HBO

HBO has a little something for everyone. From grounded dramas like The White Lotus to comedies like The Chair Company, the network has a varied library of shows worth a binge. In 2026, HBO's lineup has been dominated by genre hits, specifically science-fiction and fantasy. Game of Thrones fans were treated to two series this year, the debut of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in January and the return of House of the Dragon this summer. Both of them were hits with critics and audiences alike, and more of each is coming. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 is slated to premiere next year, while House of the Dragon's fourth and final season is likely two years away, in keeping with the show's release cadence so far. But, still on the way in 2026 are the second season of Dune: Prophecy and the premiere of HBO's Harry Potter series, which debuts on Christmas, so viewers will have no shortage of new TV to watch.

Star Wars Is Officially Bringing Back a Fan-favorite Clone Wars Character

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Published Aug 17, 2026, 2:27 PM EDT

Hello there

A Clone Wars fan favorite makes blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in new Star Wars game trailer

Image: Bit Reactor/Electronic Arts

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Witcher 3 cut quest restoration mod The WAR Project is finding a new voice for its fresh Vernon Roche lines, following alleged "severe incident of gross misconduct"

The mod's questline features new voice acting for various base game characters, not provided by the original cast

The creators of massive in-development The Witcher 3 mod The WAR Project are recasting their version of Temerian commander Vernon Roche, citing "a severe incident of gross misconduct" allegedly committed by the person they'd initially given the role. Said person is no longer involved with the mod and those working on it say they don't think this incident "will impact [their] current schedule significantly".

10 Years Later, This is Still the Hardest Platinum Trophy I’ve Ever Earned

10 years ago, a game almost broke me. A wide-eyed 24-year-old, as yet undecayed by nearly a decade in games media, I found myself enraptured by The Witness. Eager to eat up every one of the maze-like puzzles hidden around its island setting, I simply couldn’t get enough. That’s until I hit its final challenge. It was optional, but not for me. This brick wall of a bastard drained brainpower out of me each time I smashed my head against it. But the moment I finally broke through was a rush like little else — the kind hardened soulslike players get when finally striking down a boss after several hours of trying. It’s still the single most difficult trophy I’ve ever earned, and as such, my most prized PlayStation platinum. But while that digital achievement sits proudly in my account, it's nothing compared to how it made me feel in the moment, and I’ve been chasing the same sort of thrill ever since.

This week in PC games: survival horror in a waterlogged city, kaiju chaos in a destructible city, and old school GTA vibes in an isometric insurgency simulator

What we're feeding the Maw

Videogames. Gosh there are a lot of them. We're not even into the hell month of September – where every major developer besides Rockstar seems to be releasing their big games of the year – and we're looking at a packed week.

'I'm Actually Spiraling': Star Wars Fans Are Convinced The Hunt for Ben Solo is Back on After Adam Driver's X-Men Announcement Video

12 Replay Ideas That Make Zelda: TOTK Feel Like a Brand-New Game

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Published Aug 15, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

From banned fast travel to full Yiga cosplay.

12 replay ideas that make Zelda: TOTK feel like a brand-new game

Graphic: Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pretty much always merits a replay. Or two. Or fifteen. There’s always another sky island you’ve skipped, or a cave you haven’t fully explored. But searching for Princess Zelda and saving the kingdom of Hyrule in the exact same way does stop being enough of a hook for you to hit ‘new game’ …eventually.

O EMPIRE! WARD OFF THY ROT puts you in an abandoned, dithered world with a cursed object and asks you to do one thing: survive the journey

Hark!

Do you remember, or do you even know, about the Game Boy Camera? It's exactly as it sounds, a little camera attached to an original Game Boy cartridge that you could plug in and take photos with. You could even get a printer! The aesthetic therewithin is a particular one, utilising a tiny 128x128 pixel sensor, the end result being an incredibly dithered and pixelated yet charming look. There are few games that capture such a vibe, but O EMPIRE! WARD OFF THY ROT, a game about carrying a cursed object through an abandoned world, might just manage to.