The Ringer-Verse

Ben brings on Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio and Oli Welsh to sum up the first half of 2026 in gaming and preview the remainder of the year. First, they discuss the odd dynamic of dire industry news coinciding with a glut of great games. Then, they each share their top 10 games of the first half of the year, and break down the differences and similarities among their respective lists. Finally, they assess the up-in-the-air race for Game of the Year, how the timing and rollout of 'Grand Theft Auto VI' could affect its fortunes, the late-summer pileup of pre-'GTA' releases, and their biggest questions about the upcoming calendar.

Intro (0:00)Industry news (3:00)Game of the Year picks (16:53)Outro (1:28:20)

Host: Ben LindberghGuests: Giovanni Colantonio and Oli WelshProducer: Devon RenaldoAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell
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The Boys are back, and they have a special pod for you today! They’re giving you their immediate reactions to the official ‘Dune: Part 3’ trailer and assess what may come from this epic conclusion of the saga.

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben brings on Sean Fennessey, host of The Big Picture and champion of physical media, to discuss Sony's announcement that it's ending production of physical discs for new PlayStation games in 2028. They get into what led to this point; the ramifications for consumers, developers, and publishers; and how the decline of physical media affects cinephiles and gamers alike. Then Matt James joins Ben to analyze Microsoft's Xbox layoff news; review the new 'Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag' remake, 'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced'; and pick their all-time top five pirate games.

Intro (0:00)Sony's big announcement (4:42)

'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced' review (58:56)

Outro (1:57:30)

Host: Ben LindberghGuests: Sean Fennessey and Matt JamesProducer: Devon RenaldoAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell
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The Boys are back, and they’re so in! They give you all of their thoughts on ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3, diving into the politics of Westeros as it stands, the pressures Rhaenyra is dealing with from every direction, and the reveal of Team Black’s newest opponent on the game board.

(0:00) Intro

(13:49) Spoilers ahead

(15:33) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3 reactions

(1:13:02) ‘Supergirl’ roundup

(1:24:32) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘X-Men ’97’! They dive into how Season 2 of the highly anticipated show has started off and discuss what we might expect from the rest of it.

(0:00) Intro

(5:04) Spoilers ahead

(7:05) ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 premiere reactions

(1:03:48) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, Jacob Cornett, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

New 2k+ doorbells, coming to your front door
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