Located on the top right of the window, click the three vertical dots. In the drop-down menu that appears, click Settings.

In the settings page that opens, enter “startup” in the search bar. Your screen should now match the image above.

In order for Google to know not open previous tabs when starting up, make sure to check off the first option on the list: Open the New Tab page.

Alternatively, you could have Google Chrome open on a specific page(s) if you’d prefer!

There you go! Now, whenever you open your Google Chrome, a blank new tab will appear instead of whatever you had been working on last!

Yeah, okay, so a $10 coupon is nice, but what does that… wait, for every game? You read that right: every game you purchase will have a $10 coupon automatically applied to it (as long as the game costs at least $14.99 after other discounts have been applied).

Right now, most of the games on the Epic Games Store have an applied discount between 5% and %95, and a huge number of those are the top popular games in multiple genres, as well as leading games from the big AAA studios. There is so much loot to be had, it’s fairly incredible.

If you were to buy 100 games, it would equal $1000 dollars in savings, not even counting whatever discounts might already be applied. Hard to argue with numbers like that. All you need is a fully active and registered Epic Games account to get in on the holiday goodies, so what are you waiting for?

The holiday sale starts on December 16th and ends on January 6th, 2022, so you’ve got a little time to sell some of your other possession and commit to a few weeks of Ramen and tap water, but don’t wait to sign up because the longer you wait, the more of the free daily games you’re going to miss out on!

Shenmue III is the continuing story of teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he searches for his father’s killer. Exploring an open world, interact with NPCs, complete tasks to make cash, and train to upgrade fighting skills are the main points during play.

The game drew mixed feelings from fans and critics, with some adoring the faithfulness of the game to its earlier two incarnations, and others disliking how little the game had evolved compared to the rest of the video game industry.

Personally, while I agree that it totally feels like a retro game, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Ultimately, it’s a relatively fun adventure-fighter game with a classic aesthetic and, unless you’re totally jaded, I think you’ll have a good time.

The Epic Games Store has been around for a while, the lesser-known alternative to Steam, the nearly-ubiquitous platform for game purchases since it launched in 2003. But, where Steam originally existed and launched to promote Valve games, Epic Games Store launched in 2018 and quickly rose to success on the Fortnight franchise. At the time of Epic’s launch, Steam took a dramatic 30% cut from the sales of video games through their platform! This hurt both game designers and users, just wasn’t very nice. But the folks behind Epic realized something excellent: they could take a much lower cut and still have a profitable business. This led them to fast domination of the indie market, as small publishers flocked to the far better terms offered by Epic.

Mega Discounts

Epic Games Store offers some seriously incredible discounts on a regular basis, in addition to all the normal discounts one would expect on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the usual holidays. But the most exciting is their weekly free game or add-on, which simply harpoons all competitors.

When I first heard about this free game, I thought that can’t be real. They must only offer tiny indie games. Not at all, dear reader. Not. At. All. Epic frequently lists unbelievable A-lister games on their weekly deal, as well as sometimes offer two free games instead of one. In addition, just because a studio is smaller doesn’t mean the games it makes aren’t impressive. I’ve picked up some of my favorite new games, for free, from this platform, and most of them have been made by smaller studios (or as side-projects for teams from big studios).

A lush cave is a temperate cave biome in the Overworld. It’s uncommon to find, but when you do, they’re generally quite expansive. They generate at any height underground, more commonly in forested biomes.

Floors and ceilings are covered with moss and ores, along with moss carpets, grass, and azalea bushes. On the ceiling, vines and cave vines with glow berries grow down to light up the caves, while spore blossoms grow from the ceiling and drip water particles. Every lush cave includes springs and shallow lakes made of clay where dripleaf plants grow.

The main inspiration for the lush caves was the painting “Oskuldens Vandring” (Innocent’s Journey) by Swedish painter John Bauer.

You can spot where a lush cave can be found from the surface! An azalea tree will generate at the surface above a lush cave. Beneath the tree’s logs will be rooted dirt and hanging roots that generates all the way down to reach the lush cave.

So keep your eyes peeled for flowering azalea leaves on the surface when you’re roaming through a forest!

Breaking down the main difference between a PC and a console is simple: PCs are more powerful and come with more variety and personalization than consoles.

A gaming PC will always be more powerful than any console.

And I’m not knocking console systems, either. There are pros and cons to any gaming system, PC, console, or otherwise, and understanding the differences will help you determine whether you want to commit to making the switch or not.

Let’s start with the pros and cons of both options.

PC Pros and Cons

Console Pros and Cons

The hidden cost of console gaming

On average, console gamers spend more on hidden fees than PC gamers, with programs such as PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold, and Nintendo Switch Online requiring subscription fees.

PCs might be more expensive upfront, but you gain free access to these programs.

More online game platforms

As a PC gamer, you also have easier access to online game platforms like Steam, Microsoft Store, Epic Games Store, Origin, and more. These stores feature frequent sales, game demos, and a large selection of indie games.

More customization

One of the biggest pros to PC gaming, aside from portability and sheer gaming power is the opportunity to customize your gaming experience with the variety of choices available to you from laptops, premade desktops, and custom PC builds.

This brings us to the first actual step of our learning how to move from console to PC gaming: Choosing between laptops, desktops, and custom builds.

One of the most intimidating factors about switching from console gaming to PC gaming is the number of options available to you through PC gaming.

There are three PC categories: laptops, desktops, and custom builds.

Laptops vs. desktops vs. custom builds

On saving money on repairs*: This potential to save money is based on the knowledge you’ll gain as you build your PC. As parts break or you want to upgrade, you won’t have to worry about taking it back to the manufacturer because you’re the manufacturer!

At a glance, the pro/con chart above points to custom builds as having the lowest con to pro ratio, but with no prior knowledge, you run the risk of putting together the parts incorrectly, negating warranties, and damaging your build overall.

For the sake of this beginner’s guide, we’ll focus on laptops and desktops, but if you’re interested in learning how to build a gaming PC, check out Tom’s Guide: How to build a gaming PC for beginners.

How I made my decision

I opted for a gaming laptop for the following three reasons: I would potentially be traveling with my laptop, so I wanted something portable. Second, I wanted to take advantage of upcoming Steam sales, so I knew I wanted to set up my gaming system quickly. * Finally, my budget wasn’t large enough to handle buying a system, monitor, keyboard, and mouse all at once.

Once you’ve decided which system is the right one for you, you’re ready to choose your brand.

While the PC gaming system market is large, a few names dominate in performance and quality. Here are a few brands to keep an eye on as you start your PC system research.

Omen

Originally called Voodoo PC until it was acquired by HP in 2006, Omen produces PCs with outstanding performance by leveraging the technology and expertise of HP.

What Omen PCs are known for

Omen is known for creating gaming PCs that age beautifully. When system updates roll out and next-gen PCs are released, your current setup will still work perfectly.

Corsair

Since its humble beginnings in 1994, Corsair has grown to produce a wide variety of high-quality gaming products from headsets to keyboards and everything in between.

What Corsair PCs are known for

Corsair is known for making powerful PCs that are quiet and compact. They’ve mastered the art of creating a compact machine that doesn’t sacrifice speed and reliability.

Republic of Gamers

Republic of Gamers, or ROG, is the gaming branch of ASUS, the company known for creating some of the best motherboards, graphics cards, and monitors in the market.

What ROG PCs are known for

ROG produces some of the most powerful gaming laptops available, with unique cooling solutions that elevate their machine’s performances.

Alienware

Alienware is the gaming subsidiary of Dell, and their desktops are built with gaming purists and eSport competitors in mind. They feature powerful processors and extremely high refresh rates. ###### What Alienware PCs are known for While Alienware PCs are known for their powerful performances, they’re also known for creating visually pleasing and unique machines.

Intel

Intel is known for producing affordable office or work computers, but the company has recently branched out to create a number of high-quality gaming PCs.

What Intel PCs are known for

Intel PCs are known for being beginner-friendly in that their specs aren’t overpowered, which allows you to learn what sort of gaming you want to do before you invest in PCs with more powerful specs.

How I made my decision

When I initially started my research into gaming PCs, I reached out to my brother, a long-time PC gamer.

He pointed me in the direction of ASUS ROG, a brand he’s trusted for his own gaming needs for years. After reading several reviews, I priced out a few machines and was sold. An ASUS ROG gaming laptop would be my first gaming PC.

Choosing your brand: The main takeaway

At the end of the day, choosing your brand means researching the brand, the specific system you’re interested in (desktop, laptop, or custom), and reading reviews from other gamers.

As I started looking at different machines, I found myself drawn to the ASUS TUF Dash 15 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, but I realized I had a problem: I had no clue what the specs meant.

When you look at a listing for a PC, it’s never written as Gaming Laptop – $1000.

They’re written with different pieces of information that give the potential buyer a brief overview of the PC. They’re valuable but confusing if you don’t know what they mean.

ASUS TUF Dash 15 (2021) Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, 15.6″ 144Hz FHD, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, Intel Core i7-11370H, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 10, Eclipse Grey Color, TUF516PE-AB73

For example, the laptop I was interested in, ASUS TUF Dash 15 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, featured specs longer than the actual title of the PC.

While you don’t need to become an expert in computer sciences, understanding the basics will help you in the following ways: 1. You’ll know exactly what kind of machine you’re getting. 2. You’ll know what you’re spending your money on. 3. You’ll know what to look for while shopping around.

Here’s a PC specs for beginners breakdown.

What PC specs mean

Common acryonyms

Computer components and how they affect your PC

• CPU – Two companies manufacture most industry chips: Intel and AMD. The number of cores determines CPU power. The higher the core count, the more powerful the CPU, which means faster gaming for you.
• GPU – GPUs render images, video, and animations while you’re gaming. Ever had video game graphics lag? That’s probably because your video game is a touch too powerful for your GPU.
• RAM – RAM is measured in GB and creates a quick path to your PC’s CPU, allowing you to quickly access a file or video game. The higher the GB, the more you can store for instant access.
• FPS – FPS measures how many frames your PC produces. High FPS means smoother gaming.
• Hz – High refresh rate (measured in Hz) results in more realistic motion for all moving parts of your game. Keeping in mind: The higher your refresh rate, the higher your FPS should be.
• Motherboard – The unit that connects the individual electronics of your computer. In desktops and laptops, the motherboard is provided for you by the manufacturer, but if you’re building a PC from scratch, you can choose your motherboard.
• Operating system – Your operating system is the software that manages your computer’s memory, process, and all of its software.
• Storage – Storage is responsible for saving your gaming progress when you’re offline. Storage is measured in GB and is broken down into two categories:
• HDD: HDD is the older of these two storage options, and they have limited storage capabilities but are cheaper. Generally supports 1-2 TB.
• SSD: Flash memory chips that are smaller and faster. Generally supports 2+ TB.
• GB – The size of a game is often displayed in GB.

Understanding PC specs: The bottom line

While brands and manufacturers will use the information above to communicate the power of their PCs, you need to pay attention to everything listed in the PC description.

Feel free to look up anything you don’t recognize. A quick Google search can shed a lot of light.

Next, we’ll take a look at the ASUS TUF Dash 15 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop specs.

So, how does the information above translate when you’re looking at actual specs? Let’s take a look at the ASUS TUF Dash 15 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop specs as an example.

Specs and performance

As you can see from the above, PC specs don’t have descriptions listed beside each part. For example, the Intel Core i7-11370H is the CPU because cores determine a CPU’s power, but the description doesn’t include much info about the CPU itself.

So, I conducted some research and found out the Intel Core i7-11370H isn’t considered the best CPU for gaming PCs, but I was interested in the portability of the ASUS TUF Dash and the price of the machine. This brings me to my next point to keep in mind: your budget.

Always keep your budget in mind

While researching PCs, it’s easy to get wrapped up in sales phrases like Our most powerful PC yet or Graphics as beautiful as real life.

These sound great at first (who doesn’t want to use a PC that promises real-life beauty?), but keep this in mind: The more powerful the individual parts of a PC, the higher the price tag.

Write your budget down on a sticky note and have it next to you while you’re perusing gaming PCs so you won’t get sidetracked by lavish sales phrases. Staying within budget will help you determine how much you can spend on gaming extras.

One of my favorite parts of switching from console to PC gaming was choosing my gaming accessories. Accessories can enhance and personalize your gaming experience.

Here are ten gaming accessories to consider, including the number one accessory that every gamer should invest in.

10 gaming accessories to consider

1. A gaming keyboard – Finding the right keyboard can make gaming a more comfortable and fun experience for long periods of time.
2. A headset – If you’re an MMO or co-op gamer, a headset is the perfect addition for you to collaborate with your friends and fellow gamers.
3. Speakers – Having separate speakers from your system can create an immersive surround sound experience.
4. An ergonomic chair – It’s no secret that PC gaming can be uncomfortable in the wrong chair, which makes an ergonomic chair with good lumbar support a solid gaming investment.
5. A high-resolution monitor – A high-resolution monitor is the perfect way to display your GPU’s fullest capabilities.
6. A gaming controller – While a keyboard and mouse is standard for PC gaming, you can opt for a controller if that’s your preferred method of game control.
7. Ambient LED lighting – LED lights can transform any gaming setup with personalized color-changing elements.
8. A gaming mouse pad – Most gaming mousepads are larger than the standard mouse pad (fitting both your keyboard and your mouse) and come lined with LED strips to add a colorful flare.
9. Blue light reduction glasses – Blue lights can cause eye strain and disrupt sleeping patterns. Blue light glasses are a fashionable way to minimize adverse effects.
10. A streaming kit – If you’re interested in streaming your gaming experience, a streaming kit is a must.

The accessory every gamer needs

A high-performance gaming mouse. Whether you went the laptop, desktop, or custom build route, you need a high-quality mouse that will support your gaming style.

This is especially important for laptop gamers because your PC’s trackpad isn’t as responsive or comfortable as a gaming mouse.

Logitech gaming mice are fan favorites, and they come with a variety of features to match any budget and gaming need.

With your gaming rig set up and your accessories ordered, you’re ready for the fun part.

You’re ready to start gaming.

Since PC gaming is completely digital these days, you can start gaming the minute you hook your system up to your internet by downloading Steam.

Steam is one of the most popular online game platforms available, and creating an account is free and easy.

How to download Steam

1. Visit the Steam website.
2. Download Steam by clicking the blue button on the homepage that says Install Steam.
3. Follow the on-screen download prompts.
4. Once Steam is downloaded on your computer, launch the program and create an account (this will be the first screen you see when you launch Steam).

Boom! You’re ready to search through the extensive Steam library. After you connect your credit or debit card to your account, you’re ready to start building your PC gaming library.

Happy gaming!

Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, videos, and other visual content. Users can choose from many pre-designed templates, edit the designs, or upload their own photos. The free version of Canva is unmatched by any other graphic design sites out there. You can even upload your own fonts to make sure your branding is cohesive!

While you might have heard of Hootsuite or Later App, in my opinion, Buffer is an amazing alternative. Buffer is a software application for the web and mobile, designed to manage accounts in social networks. It allows you to schedule posts to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The free plan allows you to link up to three platforms and schedule 10 social media posts per platform, per month.

While Linktree is the more known “Link in Bio” website, Koji is making waves with online content creators. It doesn’t just show buttons to links, it’s a powerful tool with hundreds of free add-ons. There are even ways to monetize your content within Koji! Check out my branded Koji for a preview!

For those who have a community online, merchandise might be a viable source of income! Spring, formerly known as Teespring, is an e-commerce platform that allows you to create and sell custom apparel. You can either buy the merch and handle your own fulfillment, or let Spring handle it all for free! You choose the selling price and profit for all products, so there’s no hidden fees or charges to worry about. Each storefront can be branded how you want, feature new designs on the homepage, and offer promotional codes to your community!

Chances are if you’re reading this, then you already know about Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), but it’s still an important and free tool for creators. Regardless if you use it for streaming or recording videos, OBS is an amazing software program that can be customized to work for you. Users can set up an unlimited number of scenes, have multiple source captures, and add plugins that allow for even more customization.

Most Twitch streamers struggle to have consistent outflow of content. Whether it’s because of inexperience or lack of time, Kamua makes it incredibly easy to recycle content. Kamua is a browser-based tool that automates video editing. While videos are watermarked, it’s worth it for the $0 price tag. Kamua will automatically crop videos and add captions. For YouTubers, this is a great tool to help convert widescreen videos to a format that works for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Stories, or Reels.

This is another online tool for video editing. StreamLadder makes promoting Twitch channels incredibly easy. By uploading Twitch clips, users can format their face cam and gameplay how they want to create 9:16 ratio videos to use on social media platforms. What makes this even better is that the free version doesn’t watermark your videos, so you can have custom branded content to help grow your community.

As technology grows, so does the competition. This means streamers need to make themselves stand out from the crowd. For those who don’t use webcams to show themselves, Kappamon is a fantastic way to do just that. Kappamons are pets for your livestream that automatically greet users, have custom commands, and interact with your chat. It almost feels like a Pokémon game as you can collect various pets and even find special mutations!

If you don’t want to mess around with plugins for OBS or learn how to use Adobe After Effects, then Live Curtain is for you. Live Curtain is a free text banner and countdown tool that can easily be added to video software. It can be used for meeting welcome screens, stream countdowns, or any other message you want to convey! Plus, it’s not just for OBS, it can be used in Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

While there are other free video editing sites included on this list, Kapwing is more than just one tool. Not only does it have a full video editing studio, but there’s also a meme generator, green screen video editor, montage maker, and so much more! This is a great site to check out if you have a random need to remove or add audio, convert a video to a GIF, or trim down a sound effect audio file.

Surprisingly, the surge of streamers hasn’t encouraged developers to create Twitch integrated games. Stream Raiders is a unique way to engage with an audience. Streamers take the role of captains while viewers make up the army in battle against various enemies and bosses. It’s free for both viewers and streamers, and doesn’t take up a lot of stream time, since battles are only active for 1-3 minutes at a time.

Any streamer on Twitch has probably seen CommanderRoot pop up in their viewer list. While you may know it as a bot account, it actually is so much more than that (in a good way, I promise)! CommanderRoot is actually a Twitch Partner who creates useful Twitch Tools for streamers. Seriously, there are some powerful tools including a full follower/subscriber list, the ability to ban users, a filter to block extensions that could grab your IP address, and so much more.

Meet Athena, a video-editing goddess who happens to be an AI. Athenascope is a unique (and sci-fi adjacent) tool that analyzes gameplay to capture top gaming moments and then converts them into edited video clips. Take the hassle out of hunting down old stream footage and just let an AI handle it!

If you were to ask a content creator of 2021 what their biggest concern was, the answer would be DMCA. Standing for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, anyone who makes content online suffers from the consequences of copyrighted audio. Pretzel Rocks is a library of free to use, DMCA-safe music, so you don’t have to worry about content ID strikes or lawsuits. There’s no need to download anything, simply open up a browser and choose from a music catalog of nearly any genre of music. Seriously, they have every genre from electro-swing to metal to meditation.

One of the best streamer tools out there is a Stream Deck, however, not everyone has the money to buy one. Touch Portal makes it accessible to anyone with a PC or Mac and smartphone. This is a macro remote control that integrates with every tool a streamer or YouTuber could need. Control your smart lights, stream, music, and Discord all in one spot. Set up multi step action buttons for when you’re starting a stream, or connect it with Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro to speed up your process.

As someone who needs a flowchart to function, Trello is a project management tool every creator should be using. If you want to become a full-time streamer or YouTuber, you need a way to organize yourself, others, and your ideas. Trello can be used to plan out video production, centralize to-do lists, brand maintenance, or anything else you need help organizing. It also integrates with other programs to help keep everything connected!

Consider StreamElements a one-stop shop for streamers. Connect your Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, or Trovo account and gain access to a multitude of tools to keep your stream safe and engaging. The StreamElements chatbot lets you create custom commands, spam protection, and viewer loyalty systems. Save your computer and OBS from overclocking by using StreamElements to put all your scenes into one browser overlay!

If you’re looking for a way to be more inclusive (and just a generally decent) streamer, this is an extension I highly recommend. It’s easy to use and set-up! This extension enables viewers to share their pronouns on Twitch, so others know how to properly address them. Currently, it’s only available for Google Chrome and Firefox, but it’s a step in a great direction to help your community of viewers feel welcomed and included!

One tool that all YouTubers should get is TubeBuddy, a free browser extension and app that integrates directly into YouTube. TubeBuddy helps creators optimize their content and grow their channels. It has advanced keyword research, speeds up publishing time with savable tag lists, and even A/B testing for thumbnails!

If you’re an on-the-go type of person, VDO.Ninja is for you. This tool enables live video to be shared from a smartphone, tablet, or remote computer directly into OBS Studio or other browser-enabled software. It doesn’t require any sign-in or download and won’t collect any personal data. VDO.Ninja just wants to make it easier for you to make the content you want!

When troubleshooting OBS or streaming issues, being able to test your live stream is imperative. However, it’s annoying to have to start up a Twitch stream over and over again, risking new viewers seeing your struggle. Twitch Inspector is an online tool to help diagnose issues with a Twitch broadcast. Save yourself time by using Twitch Inspector to figure out where things are going awry!

While this browser extension is more for the viewer rather than streamer, BetterTTV does add better functionality to Twitch’s chat. Features include extra emotes, username or word highlighting, anonymous chat, and various settings to make chat easier to read. For streamers, Better Twitch TV allows for channel emotes, so your viewers can have more than the limited Twitch amount. It’s available for all major internet browsers, such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari.

Although Mailchimp has an all-in-one marketing platform, they do have a free to use email marketing dashboard. While this might not be a useful tool for all content creators, it can help service specific audience niches. Monthly email newsletters can help creators stay in content with an audience that might not be able to constantly be available for livestreams. Mailchimp’s email platform is very easy to use and is free for up to 2,000 contacts, which for many starting out is doable.

For video creators, sometimes there’s a lot of information you need to convey or memorize. Save yourself (and the planet) from printing out pages of scripts and instead try out Teleprompter Mirror’s online Teleprompter!

Simply paste text or import a TXT file, choose your preferred settings, and hit play. This simple change to your recording process can improve video quality. Plus, they have a voice activated teleprompter which listens to your voice and scrolls automatically.

Check out this video to discover more features:

One of the biggest competitors to Adobe for video editing software is DaVinci Resolve. With tools just as robust as Premiere Pro, this is the perfect alternative that’s completely free. The newest edition has redesigned controls, AI based magic mask, HDR grading tools, and over 100 new features! If you’re new to video production, Blackmagic Design also has lessons and training videos to learn how to use the program and editing processes.

Google Workspace isn’t just for businesses anymore. Users can utilize Google’s tools no matter what they need it for, which is why I highly recommend using Google Calendar to create a content calendar. In case you don’t know, a content calendar is exactly as it sounds. It’s a calendar that reflects a schedule of content to be published. Create as many calendars as you need to keep organized, such as separating YouTube videos from blog posts or social media posts. Not only does it make you organized, but it holds you accountable for your goals.

Another Google product? Yes! If you’re ever curious about Google search trends, this is where you should look first. While you can’t explore keywords thoroughly, you can compare topics against one another to see which would be the better option to create content for. It’s a great tool to spark ideas to then dive deeper into!

Keyword search rankings and search engine optimization aren’t just for digital marketers. Content creators can use tools like Answer The Public to figure out how to word their titles, descriptions, or even what topics to create content for. Answer The Public is a searchable database for keywords. It’s especially helpful if you want to know what questions are being searched online the most.

In the panic of DMCA strikes across video platforms, many forget that YouTube has their own royalty free Audio Library! With over 150,000 audio tracks, video creators can download, remix, and use it completely for free. It doesn’t just have music tracks, YouTube also provides sound effects as well!

A downside to expanding your reach online? Links to all those platforms. Bitly helps shorten URL links, so users are more inclined to click them! You can customize each link and keep track of clicks if you sign up for a free account. It’s especially helpful for YouTube descriptions or Twitch chat links, and you can even categorize links with tags, so you can find them easily at a later date!

Epic Games Store always offers the best deals, knocking Steam out of the park when it comes to putting small publishers, as well as players, first. That’s why it’s become my go-to pick (even if the lack of a “share game” feature is lacking).

Not only do they run their incredible “free weekly game” year round, when it comes time for the holidays they offer so much more. In both 2019 and 2020, Epic provided players with 12 and 15 games for free during December! If that’s anything to go by, this year could be another astounding line-up.

The games released in 2019 were pretty hot:

• Into The Breach
• TowerFall Ascension
• Superhot
• Little Inferno
• Ape Out
• Celeste
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
• Faster Than Light
• Hyper Light Drifter
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
• The Talos Principle
• Hello Neighbor
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

And in 2020, the releases were even more incredible!

• Cities Skylines + 3 DLCs: Carols, Candles and Candy, Match Day, Pearls from the East
• Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty
• The Long Dark
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Alien: Isolation
• Metro: 2033 Redux
• Tropico 5 + Map Pack
• Inside
• Darkest Dungeon + Musketeer DLC
• My Time at Portia
• Night in the Woods
• Stranded Deep
• Solitairica
• Torchlight II
• Jurassic World Evolution

If Epic Games decides to go in for another holiday release series like they did the last two years, it makes sense to assume that what we’re in for is something pretty darned… “Epic” indeed.

Rumors are going around across the internet, but the current suggestion by Dealabs member Billbill-Kun (who’s been accurate in PlayStation releases leaked during the last year) thinks that they will kick things off with a free copy of Shenmue 3.

A 2019 action-adventure game developed by Ys Net, it’s an open-world environment filled with brawler battles and quick time events.

Epic Games Store always offers the best deals, knocking Steam out of the park when it comes to putting small publishers, as well as players, first. That’s why it’s become my go-to pick (even if the lack of a “share game” feature is lacking).

Not only do they run their incredible “free weekly game” year round, when it comes time for the holidays they offer so much more. In both 2019 and 2020, Epic provided players with 12 and 15 games for free during December! If that’s anything to go by, this year could be another astounding line-up.

The games released in 2019 were pretty hot:

• Into The Breach
• TowerFall Ascension
• Superhot
• Little Inferno
• Ape Out
• Celeste
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
• Faster Than Light
• Hyper Light Drifter
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
• The Talos Principle
• Hello Neighbor
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

And in 2020, the releases were even more incredible!

• Cities Skylines + 3 DLCs: Carols, Candles and Candy, Match Day, Pearls from the East
• Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty
• The Long Dark
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Alien: Isolation
• Metro: 2033 Redux
• Tropico 5 + Map Pack
• Inside
• Darkest Dungeon + Musketeer DLC
• My Time at Portia
• Night in the Woods
• Stranded Deep
• Solitairica
• Torchlight II
• Jurassic World Evolution

If Epic Games decides to go in for another holiday release series like they did the last two years, it makes sense to assume that what we’re in for is something pretty darned… “Epic” indeed.

Rumors are going around across the internet, but the current suggestion by Dealabs member Billbill-Kun (who’s been accurate in PlayStation releases leaked during the last year) thinks that they will kick things off with a free copy of Shenmue 3.

A 2019 action-adventure game developed by Ys Net, it’s an open-world environment filled with brawler battles and quick time events.

Spielberg’s big break into producing animated works, this is the story of the Mousekewitzes, a Russian-Jewish family of mice. When an anti-Jewish attack occurs and destroys the home of the Jewish humans the Mousekewitzes live with, they set out as refugees for America.

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An American Tail (1986) there isn’t a specific holiday focus in this one, but the story does begin during a Hanukkah celebration.

Ira J. Finkelstein wants nothing more than to celebrate Christmas, but there’s one problem: his family is ardently Jewish. When they send him on a winter vacation to Florida, however, he meets Mikey Amato, who wants nothing to do with his vacation destination: Christmas Town. The solution is obvious: switch places!

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Switchmas (2012) is an endearing if quite simplistic film. It’s not going to win any Academy Awards, but it does offer a bit of holiday cheer with its over-the-top hijinks.

There are three rules: don’t expose the mogwai to sunlight, don’t let it get wet, and whatever you do… don’t feed it after midnight.

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Gremlins (1984) is basically the classic Christmas horror comedy you probably didn’t know you needed. I remember watching this as a kid and absolutely loving it; there’s something extra-great about the way the creatures come alive through practical effects.

The Discworld is a magical, strange place. When the Hogfather vanishes, only one “person” might be able to fill in for him and keep all the little kids from being sad on Hogswatch morning when presents are supposed to arrive. That “person” SPEAKS LIKE THIS, and his name is Death. Meanwhile, Death’s granddaughter is busy tracking down the disappearance of the Tooth Fairy, which might just unravel reality altogether.

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Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather (2006) if you want something that touches on all the great holiday vibes, but avoids real-world holidays altogether, there is absolutely no better story than The Hogfather. Terry Pratchett was one of the world’s greatest wits and cleverest minds, and this delightful satire provides mystery, mayhem, holiday cheer, and a dab of horror.

Detective John McClane just wants to reconcile things with his wife at her corporate Christmas party, but when terrorists take over the whole building and hold everyone hostage (except McClane) his holiday gets a whole lot more complicated.

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Die Hard (1988) hits all the lists because it really is a superb Christmas film, even though it might be the last film you’d expect to find yourself watching for the holidays! Try it out, though, I bet you won’t be disappointed. (Besides: Alan Rickman!)

Scrooge is not a kind man. Obsessed with his capitalistic routine, he drives away everyone who cares about him, damages the lives of all whom he encounters, and blackens even the cheeriest of holiday moods. But there is something supernatural waiting for him this Christmas Eve, and it might be more than a bit of undigested beef or a fragment of underdone potato.

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A Christmas Carol (1999) is one of the best-loved Christmas tales for a reason… if only all the people who hoard money and make profit from people’s suffering would get the message. Dickens’ message is as loud and clear now as it ever was, but this version of the classic that stars Patrick Stewart has a delightful edge that makes it a repeat watch for me almost every year.

A Christmas-themed anthology film, it splits through four different stories, trying to explore themes of love, loss, and the meaning of being human.

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Noel (2004) is not the best film ever, but there’s a certain charm to how it plays into its various storylines: the question at the heart of the film is definitely: what brings meaning to our lives? The young couple are a bit much in my opinion, but it’s great to see Sarandon and Arkin play off each other.

Is it a Grade-B film? Absolutely (possibly even Grade-D), but it fills a niche in the holiday viewing, especially if you’re not in the best of moods.

A biographical comedy-drama about Charles Dickens’ as he discovers the story to A Christmas Carol in the world around him.

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The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) is actually a pretty solid film for what it is, balancing good moments of humor through some top-notch acting and a delightfully funny story.

A wacky comedy where two rival fathers desperately compete to find the perfect toy for their kids on a last-minute shopping spree just before Christmas.

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“Jingle All The Way” (1996) is a perfect holiday film: silly, zany, and ridiculous. It’s got Arnold doing what Arnold does best.

Produced by the Coen brothers, this dark comedy is a fried nugget of gold for anyone who needs a bit of a boost this holiday season. Willie T. Soke and Marcus Skidmore are thieves who work malls during Christmastime by gaining access as employees: specifically, as Santa and his helper!

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Bad Santa (2003) is unreasonably funny considering how crude and lewd it is, and, as the sequel suggests, this is due to some sort of magic combination that defies comprehension.

Based on the true story of Christmas Eve ceasefire during WWI, called not by the leaders of the warring nations, nor the commanders of the armies, but by the men of the front lines themselves. For one brief moment in history, all the hatred fear and carnage was pushed aside—before warmongers and those with interest in maintaining the slog of death pushed things back towards the brink of doom.

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Joyeux Nöel (2005) is a sentimental film, but a hopeful one. Its sentimentality is more poignant, too, in the face of the real historical fact that this ceasefire did take place, and that most of the people we’re watching dramatized here died shortly afterward.

A rookie Irish hitman draws too much attention during a hit gone wrong, and he and his mentor are sent to Bruges in Belgium to hide out for a while, but things have a way of catching up with you, and cabin fever is a hard thing to break.

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In Bruges (2008) offers something for those of us who sometimes hit a dark spot during the holidays—a truly normal occurrence! The dark of winter is, after all, a time of death in nature… so it makes sense to dive into a dark satire about two hit-men. One of my all-time favorite films, it might help turn things around.

As always, if you or someone you know is dealing with thoughts of depression or suicide, know that help is just a call away. Here’s a list of all the suicide hotlines over the world where good people are ready to listen..

Based on the series SantApprentice, this sweet film follows young Nicholas, an orphan boy who believes in Santa with all his heart. The Council of Retired Santas wants Santa to pick an heir, and Nicholas is it. Things keep going wrong, of course, and Nicholas’s best friend Felix becomes homeless (he lives in America, of course). But with a little holiday magic, even the biggest disasters can be solved.

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Santa’s Apprentice (2010) it’s actually a super sweet and silly little film, with a lot of heart. Wouldn’t it be nice if all homeless people could just be given a home by Santa? Or, maybe there could just be fewer for-profit developers.

My preference: the original show is better, and the original French is better than the English dubbing

This Soviet-produced version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. When a young boy named Kay angers the Snow Queen, she curses him, and it is up to his best friend Gerda to set forth on an epic quest to save him.

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The Snow Queen (1957) proved to be a major influence on Hayao Miyazaki, who found himself enthralled by its dialog, compositions, animation, and themes.

Exploring the triumph and struggles of black communities through the holiday of Kwanzaa, this documentary features a wonderful narration and poetry by the incomparable Maya Angelou. Kwanzaa, first celebrated in 1966, is a modern constructed holiday that borrows from various harvest traditions throughout Africa. It is held from December 26 to January 1st.

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The Black Candle (2008) finding films that center on Kwanzaa has never been easy, but back when I worked in a video store, I remember directing customers toward this new release. It’s a documentary, but an excellent one, and a solid film to help you explore the roots of the holiday.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen”, Frozen follows two royal sisters, one of whom possesses the power to control and create ice and snow. But, following an accident where her powers nearly kill her sister, Princess Elsa hides her power away and vows never to use it again. Only, some things are meant to be free.

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Frozen (2013) is a great counterpoint seasonal film because the action itself takes place in summer! But, since the magic of the ice has covered all the land, there’s a wonderful atmosphere of dark winter. Add to that the wonderful themes of family and love, and you’ve got a hallmark holiday movie for the whole family (one that will reignite the desire to sing “Let it go…” once more).

An adaptation of William Horwood’s unofficial sequel to Kenneth Grahame’s original novel, the story follows the classic characters as they struggle through a harsh blizzard and must content with the incorrigible nature of Toad—who might just be their best hope when the storm strands them all!

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The Willows in Winter (1996) is actually surprisingly good, though I’ve yet to find a version of Wind in the Willows that really does the story justice. Too often, important parts are cut out, or the delightful reverence of the story is snuffed in favor of abstract tomfoolery. Still, this film, and the earlier adaptation of the original book produced by the same company, handle things relatively well.

Based on a picture book by Raymond Briggs, the main story is totally wordless, save for the glorious lyrics of the main song. Only in the momentary live-action original introduction does Briggs briefly speak.

“I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snow I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and in the morning I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the whole world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day… and it was on that day I made The Snowman.”

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The Snowman (1982) features one of the most hauntingly beautiful scores of any piece of cinema I’ve ever encounter, aside from, perhaps, this Beatrix Potter series. Interested in something strange and fun? Have a look at the version where David Bowie introduces it.

While cleaning the household after a Christmas party, the young maid discovers a damaged nutcracker and kisses it, feeling sorry for the poor thing. He comes alive and recounts the tale of how, as a child, a curse turned him from a human into the nutcracker she now sees before her. A story with a past not as far distant as he seems to think.

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The Nutcracker (1973) this follows the same ideology as the ballet: all voiceless, with only the musical score to bring the world to life.

The year is 2049, the place is the Moon. A young hotshot desperate for work, a washed-up old garbage runner, and a slick-ex-CEO con discover what could be the motherload of asteroid mining, but they’re going to face some stiff competition on the way there. Luckily, one beautiful spaceship captain might be there to give them a hand.

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This film totally blew me away. I mean, I love all Rutger Hauer’s films, he’s probably my favorite actor, but this started out so totally low-budget that I had to wonder if it would be worthwhile.

Then I realized: it’s a Christmas movie! It also dawned on me, in the most pleasurable way, that the writing is actually pretty good. And the whole cast is surprisingly solid. Once you step back and allow yourself to just enjoy it, this becomes one of the best little science fiction Christmas films conceived.

You can thank me later in the comments’ section below, or over on Twitter @indubitablyOdin. For now, just go watch this and have a fun time.