Players who wanted to log into League of Legends on the evening of January 4, 2026, noticed: This does not work at all. This was due to a problem that occurred last 10 years ago.
What was the problem? As can be seen in a Reddit thread from January 4, 2026, some players were temporarily unable to log into LoL. The creator of the thread reported that the game had an endless loading screen after logging in.
As it turns out, a client certificate expired, preventing the correct login. However, there was a simple but absurd way to still play.
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Neuling spielt eine Runde LoL – Deinstalliert direkt wegen seinen Freunden
One tricks, like in Animal Crossing
How could the problem be circumvented? Vandiril, who regularly deals with bugs and errors in LoL on his channel, published a short YouTube video on the subject. There he also showed that the loading screen with the title League of Legends was loading indefinitely without starting the client properly.
In the video, he also shows the client certificate, which was created on January 7, 2026, and expired on January 4, 2026, at 21:03. The certificate has therefore expired after 10 years, but apparently no one remembered.
If you wanted to play during this time, you could simply change the date manually in Windows. As Vandiril shows in his video, this way the problem can be easily bypassed. This is reminiscent of games like Animal Crossing, where you change the time to reset certain events. Unlike that, you probably won’t be reprimanded by a grumpy mole here.
The same thing probably happened 10 years ago. In the current Reddit thread about the Vandiril video, a user found out that the problem apparently existed 10 years ago. In an old thread, a player reported that he suddenly could not log in anymore. He asked back then if the certificate had expired.
At that time, an employee from Riot (RiotBrentmeister) replied to the user’s question and explained that the certificate had expired, although it should have been automatically renewed.
As a user on x.com shows, the current certificate seems to be valid until 2125.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in October 2018 and just a few days ago a completely new Easter Egg was discovered that now poses riddles for players.
What is this Easter Egg? The newly discovered Easter Egg from Red Dead Redemption 2 revolves around the cobwebs found on 8 different telegraph poles in the game. Following all the clues leads you to Fort Wallace, where you count guitars.
The Easter Egg has been circulating since around mid-December in the reddeadmysteries sub-forum on Reddit. The original post now has over 2000 upvotes and 241 speculative comments. Despite further discoveries, X.com posts, and YouTube videos, the riddle remains unsolved.
Interestingly, the Easter Egg has apparently been in the game since the release in 2018 and has not been patched in later with an update. Players are now diligently searching for the solution.
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Red Dead Online receives a new update after 4 years, the trailer shows the fight against tin cans
7 Years Undiscovered – Spiders, Telegraphs, and Guitars
What are the steps of the Easter Egg known so far? To get from the cobwebs to Fort Wallace, several steps are needed. Here’s what you have to do:
A total of 8 different telegraph poles, where cobwebs with a feather appear at night at various times.
Next to the pole near Cornwall, kerosene and tar are engraved with a spider. If you overlay this on the map and mark the cobweb poles, you will see that they are positioned at the ends of the spider’s legs.
In the middle of the spider or halfway between the web poles, a large cobweb can be found in a tree. The letter N is marked within it.
If you go north, you’ll find another telegraph pole. If you shoot this, an inscription is revealed: W with five crosses.
Five telegraph poles to the west stands another that can be shot. If you do this, the new inscription sends you to NW and shows a guitar.
Northwest of the pole is Fort Wallace, where several guitars can be found.
User GoldenPegasus5 posted a snippet of the map with the spider symbol and directional information in the reddead Fandom Wiki:
What are players saying? In the reddeadmysteries Reddit, there have been enthusiastic discussions since mid-December about what the newly discovered Easter Egg could mean. There are also lively theories on X.com and YouTube. But one thing all commentators have in common – they are excited.
VeraShtrobl-zy2xk via YouTube:If it turns out to be like Mount Chilliad, where we’re pulling our hair out over something that turns out to be a hint for a riddle we’ve already solved, I’ll freak out.
The solution to the riddle has not yet been found. Whether and how things will continue remains open for now. But one thing is certain, the community of Red Dead Redemption 2 will stay on it. If you want to join in the search for the solution, you can currently do so at a discount. Until January 8, 2026, the game is available for PlayStation and via Steam at a lower price: One of the greatest games of all time is now available on Steam and PS5 for under 15 Euros
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Players of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora have every reason to return to the game or to enter the world of Pandora digitally for the first time. This is also reflected in the player numbers on Steam.
How did Avatar start on Steam? Upon release, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora fell short of Ubisoft’s expectations. Compared to the two parts of The Division, Avatar lagged behind in revenues.
The title appeared on Steam only 7 months after its release. By that time, the hype was already over and there were many performance issues. Therefore, the title never reached 3,000 simultaneous active players on Steam (as seen on SteamDB).
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Avatar: Fire and Ash – The trailer for the third part of the Na’vi story
New content brings a flood of players to Avatar
How has Avatar changed? However, there are 2 major points that make many players return to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora or check it out for the first time:
In December 2025, the third part of the Avatar series was released in theaters. The story of Fire and Ash revolves around a new people and the well-known problems of the Na’vi. According to 2 well-known YouTubers, the film feels like a WoW addon. Accordingly, there is a new DLC for the video game adaptation.
At the same time as the DLC, a major update was released on Steam for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. This update introduced the desired third-person view by players and fixed many bugs that could lead to game crashes.
This led to an explosion of player numbers on Steam. Currently, there is a new all-time high every week. At the moment, the counter stands at 15,283 simultaneous active players within the last 24 hours on Steam, reached about 11 hours ago (as of January 5, 2026, at 8:30 AM).
How has this affected the ratings? On Steam, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has over 8,000 ratings with currently 72% positive ratings. In the last 30 days, there have been a total of 2,188 reviews that give the game a positive rating of 76%. A quarter of the positive reviews, therefore, came only in the last 30 days, coinciding with the update.
Several users write that Avatar is “finally playable.” At release, the title was unplayable due to numerous bugs. User Sarluna also expresses how much he appreciates the third-person view. The user suffers from motion sickness, and this perspective minimizes the problem.
The developers of Ashes of Creation have taken significant action against a group of professional gold farmers. The head of the MMORPG makes it clear: Those who buy or sell gold for money risk their accounts.
What happened? On the official Discord channel, head developer Steven Sharif addressed the community last night (January 5, 2026) to report on a strike against a coordinated group of professional gold farmers.
The group comprised around 80 accounts and nearly 210 characters. It is believed that the gold farmers exploited a security vulnerability to generate gold and duplicate materials (a so-called dupe exploit). Such activities can have an extremely negative impact on a game’s economy and encourage real-money trading (the sale of gold for euros or dollars, also known as RMT).
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Ashes of Creation: Early Access Guide stimmt euch auf den Start auf Steam ein
How are the developers responding? According to Sharif, the recent maintenance work has already brought a fix for the security vulnerability to the servers. They are now in the process of identifying the duplicated items and tracking the gold transactions in the economy. The items generated through the exploit must be removed from the database.
Furthermore, the studio head of Intrepid explains how they intend to deal with the caught accounts and characters:
I want to make it clear: We have a zero-tolerance policy towards RMT. Participation in RMT, no matter which side of the transaction, will result in a permanent ban. It’s not worth risking your account, and it undermines the significance of your achievements. If you or someone you know is considering RMT, just say no!
A list of the banned characters will be published soon.
“A rare victory for Ashes”
How does the community react to the news? Many players are pleased with the bans imposed on the gold farmers and exploit users. Others complain that the bot problem in the MMORPG’s alpha is already said to be much more widespread.
McBeefyBare writes on Reddit: “There are so many caravan and fishing bots everywhere …”
NsRhea adds under McBeefyBare’s post: “Yesterday I killed a mining bot. It dropped over 400 stones. You can see them moving from one place to another trying to mine something that isn’t there, then quickly turn around and try again at another spot.”
BlamaeuxPrivateEye praises the MMORPG’s team on Reddit, but also makes it clear that he has been dissatisfied with other issues in the past: “I’m actually a hater, but I love seeing bans for RMT. A rare victory for Ashes.”
Anykeysttv writes on Reddit: “Imagine real-money trading in a yet-to-be-released game. I increasingly doubt that the game will even be released, as I keep reading about how the community is ruining the game already.”
Particularly attractive to gold farmers are online role-playing games where a) it is very difficult to earn gold without spending money, but gold significantly eases virtual life, and/or b) the economy of a game (such as an auction house) is directly linked with a premium or real-money currency.
If there is also a free-to-play model, through which gold farmers can easily create new accounts for free, it becomes nearly impossible to sustainably win the fight against bots.
In Ashes of Creation, point a applies, but not point b. Additionally, currently, one has to pay to access the early-access version. While the purchase price may be eliminated with the release version, a monthly subscription will then take effect, which one must subscribe to in order to play Ashes of Creation.
If the developers can successfully identify and ban bot and RMT accounts early enough, they have a chance to mitigate the issue. Ultimately, how attractive Ashes of Creation will be for gold farmers in the long run also depends on how many players are willing to buy gold for money. Unfortunately, history shows that some gamers are quite loose with their wallets: The 8 most expensive items in MMOs sold for real money
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A fan of Final Fantasy XI wonders why World of Warcraft still outshines the entire MMORPG competition 21 years after its release. The community provides several reasons.
How is WoW doing in early 2026? Unfortunately, there are no official player and revenue numbers. However, there are several signs that World of Warcraft is still doing really well after 21 years:
Holly Longdale, Vice President and Executive Producer for World of Warcraft, stated in 2024 that the MMORPG has more developers working on it than ever before.
The many different WoW versions (The War Within, Mists of Pandaria Classic, Season of Discoveries, Classic Era, Hardcore, Anniversary Edition) highlight this.
WoW: Patch 11.2.7 – The warning shows what threatens Quel’thalas
“It is simply suitable for all types of players”
What are the reasons for the continued success? This question is exactly what MonsutaMan asks on Reddit. The non-WoW player has played Final Fantasy XI for many, many years and has to grudgingly acknowledge how well Blizzard’s MMORPG has fared to this day.
WoW casts a shadow over newer MMOs and has left pretty much every other MMO from the early 2000s far behind. EQ, GW, etc…
It’s pretty crazy. Not only that it has lasted so long, but that it is also thriving as number one. Many MMOs from the early 2000s are still online, but not many are genuinely “successful”.
Don’t players get tired of WoW? Final Fantasy XI was my personal favorite MMO. However, many hardcore XI players like me have outgrown the game. As a result, active player numbers have stagnated. It was noticeable that it was no longer a popular MMO… (I took a bit longer to let go, in 2025).
WoW had its heyday and difficult phases but now seems to have returned to the top? What do you think made this success possible? Was it pure coincidence? The right place at the right time?
Under the post, numerous players gather in over 600 comments to name reasons for WoW’s enduring success.
Frog-Eater writes on Reddit: “It is simply suitable for all types of players. Role players, people who enjoy PvP, those who like leveling or just farming and hanging out, challenging dungeons, raids with the guild. Now there is even housing. It may not be the best in all areas, but it’s fun, looks good and everyone can find something they enjoy about it.”
_NauticalPhoenix_ sees another reason for the recent success on Reddit: “A few years ago, during Shadowlands, it entered a difficult phase. […] Preach, Bellular, and many WoW content creators spoke out loud about it. […] Since then, Blizzard has made a course correction starting with Dragonflight and has since achieved much better player engagement.”
Sea_Advantage_2577 praises on Reddit: “It has some of the best combat in MMO history, which I think is often overlooked. You can be in a chaotic situation like PvP or M+ and never feel like you’re not doing what you want. Azeroth is also a fascinating world to explore and has some impressive areas to offer. The music and graphics are great.”
Is WoW actually the “number 1 MMORPG in the world”? This cannot be answered with one hundred percent certainty:
Not only does Blizzard refrain from announcing official numbers, most other MMORPG providers do the same.
The player numbers are difficult to compare due to the different payment models (Free2Play vs. subscription, for example) and other factors. Many updates from MMORPG developers include players who only checked out the free trial version, for example.
Moreover, WoW is still only available on PC after all these years, while many other MMORPGs have also been released on consoles or mobile.
The signs mentioned at the beginning suggest that World of Warcraft is doing very well in 2026, and that the responsible parties will continue to support the MMORPG for a long time to come.
After 5 seasons, the successful series Stranger Things ended on December 31, 2025. Despite a rather mixed reception to the previous season, the finale managed to convince fans and left hardly a dry eye.
This article is kept as spoiler-free as possible and mainly reflects the mood of the community. So if you haven’t seen the finale yet, you don’t need to worry about encountering significant spoilers.
How has Season 5 been received so far? While critics rated the season mostly positively, the community’s rating was much more muted (see e.g. Rotten Tomatoes). Many fans found the season overloaded and simultaneously stretched too thin in terms of content. A common criticism was the pacing, the narrative tempo, which was perceived as unbalanced due to the splitting of the season and very long episode runtimes.
Additionally, there was controversy surrounding specific plot lines, particularly concerning Will Byers. His character development and the explicit discussion of his sexuality in Episode 7 led to heated debates and a wave of negative reviews.
On December 31, 2025, it was finally time, and the series concluded with Episode 8. This finale was received much better by the community than the previous episodes and resonated deeply with many viewers.
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With Stranger Things Season 5, the popular hit series from Netflix comes to an end
“It felt like the last day of school when your friends leave you forever.”
What does the community say about the series finale? On social media platforms like Reddit or YouTube, viewers exchange thoughts on the last episode of the series. Overall, the ending is well-received, even though there are some open questions that the finale couldn’t address.
For instance, Reddit user LeoDiCristio opens his thread with a meme stating that Stranger Things offered a much better finale than Game of Thrones did at the time. Over 31,000 likes and more than 6,800 comments overwhelmingly agree with him, and even among the critiques of the episode by film YouTuber Robert Hoffmann, many enthusiastic voices are found, although some perceive the ending as too “safe”:
Privateinvestigat0r describes in a comment below the ending with a school metaphor that touches the heart: “It felt like the last day of school when friends leave forever. I watched the last episode hours ago, but I still don’t know why I feel so down and sad. It touches me personally.”
@Jaskiir comments under the video: “The whole epilogue, with all its real emotions, a farewell from the characters and the series, for us as well as for the actors, was so convincing and beautiful. For me, it’s full circle and a peak ending for Stranger Things. In the end, everyone put down their player book, I had to cry just as truly as the actors. Outstanding!”
@dirkschulz7282 particularly enjoys a recurring element: “Well, all those who didn’t like it, I really feel sorry for them. The final battle was grand because it was again about solidarity and friendship; we don’t need 30 minutes of gore-splatter for that. People who were emotionally touched enjoyed this finale and cried tears. It ended like it began: friendship and team spirit, which reflects again in Dungeons & Dragons (aka the ‘party’) as the characters complete their circle. Perfect. (FOR EDDY!)”
Sephonik writes on Reddit: “My criticisms are that it was too safe and predictable, too fast-paced to really settle into a moment, and very explanatory. Still: They successfully landed the ship, and I enjoyed it nonetheless!”
However, even though there are some mild criticisms regarding the “safety” of the ending and some open questions, the majority of viewers seem to have enjoyed the last episode. Many commentators compare the ending to other series like Game of Thrones, Lucifer, and The Umbrella Academy, ultimately concluding each time that Stranger Things delivered a significantly better finale.
However, the open questions could be addressed in the announced spinoff titled Tales from ’85, which is set to be released in 2026 – although there is no specific date yet (see Moviepilot).
Anyone looking back nostalgically at the past 5 seasons of Stranger Things will likely soon be on the prowl for new soul food. Therefore, we have gathered some series that have a similar vibe and you shouldn’t miss if you enjoyed Stranger Things: 9 series like Stranger Things
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Sauercrowd also helps smaller streamers achieve more success on Twitch. Even a few veterans from World of Warcraft are back in the spotlight.
The currently biggest phenomenon in gaming with the most attention on Twitch is the German guild “Sauercrowd”, which is taking off after the American model of “OnlyFangs” in World of Warcraft Classic. Although at first glance everything revolves around the bigger streamers like Papaplatte or HandOfBlood – a few smaller streamers are also getting their moments in the spotlight.
This ensures that some people receive a lot of attention who would otherwise be overlooked at such events – like the WoW legend Stevinho.
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WoW Classic: The Hardcore Servers Are Here!
Allimania creators suddenly back in a big way on Twitch
Who is Stevinho? Especially veterans of WoW are likely to remember Steve “Stevinho” Krömer, as he is the creative mind behind the audio play Allimania, which was released during the time of “Vanilla” WoW and mercilessly parodied the whole game. There was also a small Allimania remake. He himself lent his voice to the somewhat clumsy warrior Horst. In addition, he hosted the online radio show “WoW Night” at that time, which became a weekly ritual for many fans of the first WoW generation.
Why was there attention? At the “Sauercrowd” event, the big streamers occasionally draw some attention to people with lower viewer counts. HandOfBlood sent some of his friends together with Stevinho into the Deadmines and helped spread his stream – which temporarily brought Stevinho well over 10,000 viewers, over 2,000 new followers, and 400 new subscribers. There was a lot of nostalgia, old anecdotes from the Allimania era, and also a lot of reflection on humor and how it has changed over the years.
You can watch the entire stream of the evening here, the dungeon run starts around 9:00:00 in the video:
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How did the dungeon visit go? The visit to the Deadmines went relatively smoothly and the entire stream was full of old anecdotes and details from the past – both from Allimania and World of Warcraft itself.
However, one can clearly see during the visit to the Deadmines that multiple generations are coming together. While HandOfBlood’s friends often shout rather loudly, Stevinho’s (now rather calmer) style hardly shines through in some conversations – but he is probably used to such behavior from his time as a teacher.
In summary, it can be said that especially this “bringing into the spotlight” of smaller streamers and old legends (like Jan Hegenberg with his new song) is one of the great strengths of events like Sauercrowd. It is also easy to overlook that the entire event is a bit more chaotic than originally intended.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
ARC Raiders is known for allowing players to choose their focus on PvE, PvP, or a healthy mix, despite playing together. Players have suspected for a while a form of “Aggression-based Matchmaking” – and an interview with the developers confirms: You are right.
How does matchmaking work in ARC Raiders? In an interview with GamesBeat via YouTube, Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund explained during a session about ARC Raiders what makes the game’s matchmaking special. Just like in most multiplayer games, there is a skill-based matchmaking system that groups you with players in lobbies that are on a similar level as you.
Additionally, there is a type of “Aggression-based Matchmaking” that takes into account how aggressively you play. You should be grouped with players who exhibit similar gameplay behavior. So if you often shoot at your teammates without warning, you can expect to encounter more such Raiders.
It is important to maintain a balance between both variants and to continue experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t. The current matchmaking is therefore not set in stone, and particularly the “Aggression-based Matchmaking” has only been implemented for about a week. The goal is to give both camps their space while still having a “gray area” that supports hybrid forms and maintains tension.
ARC Raiders soll laut der Community die chilligsten Lobbys haben
“Best mechanics choice. Let the PvP players play PvP and the PvE players play PvE.”
What does the community say about the current matchmaking? On Reddit, players are discussing the statements regarding matchmaking. Most celebrate the approach and believe that this type of matchmaking has a significant impact on the game’s success. Radthereptile even calls this decision the best mechanics choice (see Reddit).
However, some argue that it can be difficult to be classified into PvE lobbies, as there is a feeling that the game perceives one as aggressive, even when merely defending against incoming shots (see Reddit). Others advise that in such cases, it is best to play as passively as possible. This way, one would end up in “friendly lobbies” after just a few matches (see Reddit).
tinselsnips points out that it is difficult to satisfy all camps and that this type of experimental matchmaking is a good way to give as many as possible their space for a good gaming experience (see Reddit).
Nearly 10 years ago, the Kickstarter campaign for Chronicles of Elyria was launched. Now, the man behind the project explained why there has been little progress in 2025 and how it will continue this year.
What is the current status of Chronicles of Elyria?
Chronicles of Elyria is considered one of the most successful Kickstarter MMORPGs, raising over 1.3 million US dollars from more than 10,000 backers in May 2026.
The promise behind the game: Specifically generated quests for characters, a fully destructible environment, a closed economy, finite resources. No daily routine. Local, regional, and national conflicts. You build the dynasty of an entire family over multiple generations.
The alpha gameplay shown in the meantime disappointed many backers.
The main person responsible for the project, Jeromy Walsh, often did not come off well. Whether it was for breaking promises, his communication with the community being lacking, or because he was working on other projects like Kingdoms of Elyria.
What has happened since then? Well, not much. Many areas of the website chroniclesofelyria.com are still not accessible. New trailers or gameplay impressions? Scarce. Instead, there was a new post from Walsh on the official Discord at the turn of the year (via Reddit).
There, the developer explains that he had to deal with legal claims at the end of 2024 and throughout 2025. Due to this, it became necessary to pause work on Elyria. His focus over the past months has been to raise money for himself and the project. He does not see much danger in possibly losing the lawsuit.
While the threat of legal action is real, the actual risk remains relatively low. I fully expect to keep fighting for the right to continue development, but the chances of losing any litigation are minimal.
The money is supposed to come from the release of his other projects ElyriaMUD and Kingdoms of Elyria. There are also talks with a third-party studio that apparently has interest in developing its own game for the Elyria universe.
Walsh also emphasizes the new experiences he gained regarding the Soulborn engine and a potential web and mobile foundation. He therefore expects “big progress in 2026.” Whether this also concerns the original Chronicles of Elyria is not made clear in the statement.
How does the community react to this? So much has gone wrong with Chronicles of Elyria over the past 10 years that the project cannot shake off its scam label.
Consistent-Mine5006 predicts on Reddit: “What I read here is: The game is dead, I’m going to focus on mobile games with little effort from now on.”
MGfreak believes on Reddit: “If this third-party studio exists and uses this IP, I guarantee you that it is one of those fraudulent studios aiming for quick cash. For this goal, even the worst IP is better than no IP, as long as people have heard of it.”
wirblewind sees it similarly on Reddit: “It is impossible that anything related to Chronicles of Elyria at this point is not a scam.”
The end of Anthem is inevitably approaching. In just a few days, the once-promising shooter will come to an end.
In the history of video games, there are only a few titles that ran headfirst into a wall and failed mercilessly. One of these titles was supposed to become the unofficial “multiplayer successor to Mass Effect” and provide serious competition to the then-genre leader Destiny: Anthem.
Anthem shows the four different combat suits in the launch trailer
One week of Anthem – then it’s over for good
When will Anthem be over? The servers of Anthem will be shut down on January 12, 2026. So if you want to check out the game one more time, you should spend the next few days delving into it and maybe collect some nostalgic memories for the future.
Will Anthem be completely unplayable afterwards? Yes. When the servers are shut down on January 12, that will be the complete end for Anthem. The game can only be played with a server connection, so the date marks the final demise of Anthem.
What did Anthem fail at? Anthem primarily failed due to a lack of vision. There were several trailers for the game that were supposed to showcase Anthem – and for some developers, that was the first presentation of how the final game was supposed to look after years of developing “into the void.” A playable version was then hastily assembled for the rushed launch date. The feeling of flying felt great – but that was unfortunately all there was.
Mark Darrah also explained a few months ago why Anthem had failed: They knew what they didn’t want to be, but had no concrete idea of what they actually wanted to be. Additionally, many development resources were tied up with other games like Mass Effect Andromeda or Dragon Age Inquisition, leading to a long period of working with a small, incomplete team.
What are your memories of Anthem like? Do you remember the game positively? Or were you bitterly disappointed at launch, and has that disappointment not changed over the years? A failed potential or good as long as it lasted? If you’re looking for alternatives, no worries – we’ve presented the 25 best shooters here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Also on Steam, the community is choosing its Game of the Year 2025. Unlike the Game Awards, the winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 here receives only one award – the GOTY of the players on Steam is a different one.
Which game is Game of the Year on Steam? In 2025, the indie hit Hollow Knight: Silksong deeply touches the hearts of players and earns the title of Game of the Year on Steam (see Steam). It is a Soulslike Metroidvania, the predecessor “Hollow Knight” of which was already well received.
When Silksong was released on September 4, 2025, the rush of players even caused the servers of the Steam shop and Nintendo’s store to crash. Meanwhile, the game enjoys a “very positive” rating on Steam with around 88% positive votes out of 379,320 reviews. Silksong was also able to impress on Metacritic with a score of 90 out of 100 points.
In line with this achievement, you can currently purchase the game at a discounted price of €15.60 on Steam and dive into the world of Hollow Knight.
Here you can watch the trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong:
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Hollow Knight Silksong – Xbox Game Pass Reveal Trailer
These games also impressed
Which games have also won? In the voting, Silksong not only won this title but also another award in the category “Award for the Best Game Where You Are Bad.” In addition to Hollow Knight: Silksong as Game of the Year 2025, other games also impressed the community in various categories:
Baldur’s Gate 3: Award for “Work of Love”
Hades II: Award for the Best Game on the Steam Deck
PEAK: Award for “Better with Friends”
Silent Hill f: Award for Outstanding Visual Style
ARC Raiders: Award for Most Innovative Gameplay
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Award for Best Soundtrack
Dispatch: Award for “Outstanding Game with a Profound Story”
RV there yet?: Award for “Sit Back and Relax”
The Midnight Walk: Award for VR Game of the Year
In contrast to the Game Awards 2025, where surprise hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home 9 awards, the game only managed to impress in the soundtrack category on Steam.
This weekend, 0.4.0C Hotfix 13 for Path of Exile 2 has been released, focusing mainly on the Vaal Temples. The developers are ruining the dungeons of many players with their adjustments.
The problem: Some players found extremely rewarding room combinations that allowed them to farm highly valuable resources and gear in no time. This negatively affected the economy of the game. Additionally, there were room combinations that could cause performance issues and crashes. The developers had to respond.
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Trailer zu Path of Exile 2: Fate of the Vaal zeigt die Königin der Vaal
What does the hotfix change?
A new diminishing return effect kicks in after a certain number of rooms of a type, reducing the impact of the associated modifiers. This aims to mitigate the performance issues and crashes.
Juatalotlis Medallion can now only be placed on rooms of level III.
The rooms whose bonuses are increased by Golem Workshops or Spy Master room types have been swapped.
A bug has been fixed that was introduced in a hotfix after 0.4.0, which caused temples to spawn more magic and rare monsters than intended, especially at lower levels.
How does the hotfix affect the game? Overall, many room combinations now yield significantly less loot. The swap of the room types and the new restriction on the medallion affects many player dungeons.
Specifically affected are players who were still working on their temple variant. The hardcore part of the community, who have been farming finished temples for quite some time, should still be able to continue doing so.
How poorly the hotfix is received is underscored by the over 1,400 comments in this discussion on Reddit, as well as the 346 pages (!) of comments under the patch notes in the forum. Many of the recent reviews on Steam are also negative.
tresborn#1254 writes on pathofexile.com: “I spent 3 days building my temple and now I’m screwed, I’m withdrawing until the next season.”
Sankara93#3487 is also visibly frustrated: “I literally finished my temple after 5 damn days of hard work, and now you’ve destroyed all my work, even though players had two weeks to print divine. What the hell, man? Are you kidding me?”
Daxxien asks in disbelief on Reddit: “Wait a minute, doesn’t that mean my temple is now completely destroyed since the room types were swapped?”
Both on Reddit and in the forum, players are urging the developers to revert the new restriction on Juatalotlis Medallion. The reason: “A small percentage of players with fully constructed temples can still benefit from them, while for everyone else, it’s no longer possible to build such a temple.”
During the holidays of 2025, the renowned content organization FaZe Clan imploded, with numerous members announcing their departure. One of them is the Twitch streamer Lacy. However, he probably hasn’t fully thought through the consequences.
What kind of streamer is he? Lacy began his career as a Fortnite streamer. In 2024, he joined the content organization FaZe Clan and shifted his content to Just Chatting. However, during the holidays of 2025, FaZe Clan imploded, and long-standing members like Adapt announced their departures – including Lacy.
After the streamer had been living rent-free in the FaZe Clan’s content house for nearly 2 years, he suddenly has to think about mundane things like rent. Just over six months ago, the clan showcased the 10 million dollar house on YouTube – and that was still a downgrade compared to the old FaZe house worth 30 million dollars (source: YouTube).
Before joining the FaZe Clan, Lacy had to navigate through crazy challenges.
Start video
Twitch streamer shaves his head for donation and is bitterly disappointed!
Streamer says he is “not a millionaire” and “broke”
What does the streamer say? In his stream on January 2, 2026, Lacy informed his fans that he is now facing rent costs of 18,000 US dollars per month. Despite the generous ad revenue that the 22-year-old keeps “accidentally” leaking, that’s quite a lot of money.
The Twitch streamer emphasizes that he is not a millionaire and does not have a million in his account. Lacy even refers to himself as “broke” – or whatever that means for a streamer with over 10,000 active subs on Twitch (source: TwitchTracker).
Mathematically, that amounts to about 34,000 dollars in income from paid subscriptions per month. Additionally, there are ad revenues. In the week from July 8 to July 14, Lacy reportedly earned 58,000 dollars just from ads (source: YouTube).
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In social media, Lacy’s concerns receive little sympathy. A thread in the Streaming subreddit r/LivestreamFail garnered almost 10,000 upvotes and over 1,000 comments.
Several viewers point out that the streamer’s room is large enough to produce an echo when he speaks. He should just move – or not leave FaZe Clan if he wants to continue living in luxury for free.
One user quips: “Even a postal worker could afford 20,000 a month.” This is likely a reference to a previous statement by Lacy, in which he mentioned he could have become a postal worker if he was only earning 1,900 euros per day.
In the USA, a gaming PC belonging to a father likely saved the life of his 3-year-old son and surprisingly sustained little damage.
The featured image is symbolic and does not show the affected father.
The American Reddit user “theonlyalankay” shared a photo of his gaming PC with a bullet hole in the fan grate in a post on the “pcmasterrace” forum. A second photo shows a bullet hole in the building’s window.
“theonlyalankay” says the PC stopped a bullet and saved his child’s life. Someone outside the building fired several shots at the house. One bullet flew through the window into the family’s living room.
Start video
In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
3-Year-Old Played Just Inches from the PC
How did the PC save a child’s life? In total, the police found 3 projectiles: one in the house wall of the building, one in the ground at the front door, and the third in the computer case. The computer is located in the living room by the TV because the family watches TV there. At that moment, his 3-year-old son was playing with LEGO on the TV stand.
Although the user cannot say for sure that the PC saved his son’s life, it seems very likely to him:
“The angle, the timing, and the fact that my oldest son was standing there at that moment could have led to a completely different situation without the PC. If it hadn’t hit him, it would have just been a matter of centimeters. Two of the shots are at eye level.”
What about the shots? It is still unclear what motivated the shots at the family’s house. The user fears that an ex-partner may be involved. She recently violated a restraining order she had obtained against him and subsequently missed the scheduled court hearing. A few days earlier, the police had already come to interview him.
This is what the community says: Since the post now has over 2,600 comments, there are countless different reactions. Many users wish the family all the best and are glad that no one was harmed – and hope it stays that way.
Many users also comment on the post with a healthy dose of humor. Some joke that gaming saves lives. Others inquire about the condition of the hardware. One user comments on Reddit, for example: “Is the RAM okay?” He refers to the currently high RAM prices, which we reported on at MeinMMO.
So, is the PC still working? According to the Reddit user, the PC is indeed still functional. Although the bullet that had previously shattered the window also penetrated the computer’s case, it did not cause any major damage inside. The fan deflected and stopped the bullet. The user now only needs to replace the fan; RAM, motherboard, graphics card, processor… everything else is intact. Speaking of RAM: A player planned a gaming PC with 32 GB RAM but ended up buying double: 8 months later, he doesn’t regret the decision at all.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There are many influencers who earn a living with YouTube, but probably only a few who have made it big with a single video.
The image is a stock photo by Gustavo Fring via Pexels.
What kind of channel is this? The YouTube channel Fireplace 10 hours was created on September 30, 2016. Two days later, on October 2, it posted its first and only video so far. It is called “Fireplace 10 hours full HD” and has been viewed more than 156 million times in the past decade. This could have made the owner a millionaire – although there is disagreement about that.
Start video
The trailer for the Winterfest event in Fortnite creates a cozy atmosphere with a fireplace
Made it big with a single video… or not?
What’s the deal with the video? “Fireplace 10 hours full HD” is, as the name suggests, a ten-hour video showing a blazing fire in a fireplace. The wood crackles, the atmosphere is cozy – ideal for running on the TV while celebrating Christmas with loved ones.
On X, a user recently shared an estimate claiming that the channel has surpassed the mark of 1.24 million US dollars in revenue after almost 10 years, commenting: “The brother has made it big.”
Why are there uncertainties? Part of it is due to the estimate itself. When you enter the channel on the analysis platform Social Blade, you get an estimate of $8,000 to $128,000 per year. This is likely due to the fact that the exact RPM of the channel is not known.
RPM stands for “Revenue per Mille” and describes the revenue per 1,000 viewers or ad impressions. This value depends on various factors and can fluctuate significantly. According to Dexerto, there are estimates that place the channel’s total revenue closer to $500,000 to $800,000.
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It’s also unclear how the person behind the channel benefits at all. To be accepted into the YouTube Partner Program, a channel must have posted at least 3 videos and meet various milestones.
If a channel does not meet these criteria, YouTube reserves the right to monetize the videos anyway – in this case, the revenue goes to the video platform and not to the creator.
However, other users explain that this only applies to channels created from 2023 onwards. Therefore, Fireplace 10 hours should not fall under the stricter regulations for the Partner Program (YouTube Partner Guidelines via X).
Either way, YouTube channels that provide hours of background noise are extremely popular. The probably most famous among them is the LoFi-Girl. The eternal student only ended her 10-year study session last year, as reported by GameStar.
ARC Raiders launched just a few days after Battlefield 6, but that was completely irrelevant to the studio. The important thing was to avoid another competitor.
Where do the statements come from? Patrick Söderlund, one of the founders and current CEO of Embark Studios (ARC Raiders, The Finals), spoke in an interview with GamesBeat about the release of ARC Raiders and the competition.
Before Söderlund co-founded Embark in 2018 with Magnus Nordin, Rob Runesson, Stefan Strandberg, Jenny Huldschiner, and Johan Andersson, he worked at DICE and later at EA for several years. He served as CEO and Vice President of DICE and as Executive Vice President of EA’s Worldwide Studios.
Söderlund is credited for his time at DICE and EA in the credits of games like Battlefield (e.g., 3, 4, and 1), Titanfall 2, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Start video
ARC Raiders zeigt im Launch-Trailer, wie der Kampf Mensch gegen Maschine aussieht
ARC Raiders shows no fear of competition
What does he say about the release and Battlefield 6? Söderlund mentions in the interview that the team at Embark talked a lot about the release date. They considered whether it made sense to launch so close to Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: “We had very, very serious discussions about this specific issue, really. We talked about: ‘Should we move the game?'”
Söderlund explains that Embark was confident that ARC Raiders did not need to hide from the competition:
After some back and forth, we concluded that we have a game that is very strong. We also believed that we could reach a position where we are competitive in a different way. Of course, we didn’t think of the game as a ‘Battlefield’ title, but we found that the game has enough uniqueness to stand on its own.
Söderlund mentions that they had a well-founded assumption of when Battlefield 6 would be released. Additionally, they were also confident about the rough release window of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – nevertheless, they did not want to deviate from the set schedule:
“We wondered: ‘Hmm, did we really make the right decision?’ We talked about moving it elsewhere. But at the end of the day, we felt that the game was ready for launch. We felt that the game offers something completely different from these other titles.”
In conclusion, Söderlund states that they also collected important data during the final test just before the release, the so-called server slam, which gave them further confidence in the launch.
Which game was ARC Raiders still afraid of? As Söderlund reveals in the interview, Embark Studios was afraid of GTA 6 and deliberately wanted to avoid the action game: “The first dialogue we had obviously revolved around GTA. We didn’t want to be near them. I believe no one wanted to be near them.”
Embark observed closely what Rockstar Games and GTA 6 planned when determining a release date before making a decision: “We waited for them to announce their launch date. Once that was out, we decided: Okay, good, now we have a solution where we can somewhat distance ourselves and set a date.”
The release of GTA 6 is a topic that has been occupying the entire gaming industry for years now. For other studios, it is particularly important to avoid the launch of the game as broadly as possible since the expectations for the highly anticipated title are extremely high. Even the biggest publishers fear the release of GTA 6
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As gained, so lost. The first player reached Level 50 in the great WoW-HC event on Twitch. But the luck is short-lived.
A German event for World of Warcraft currently dominates Twitch: Sauercrowd. More than 200 streamers from the German-speaking region have come together to play WoW Classic in the “Hardcore” variant to eventually master the Molten Core. Many newcomers are involved, but also some veterans who bravely push forward to quickly reach Level 60.
What happened? Saltydayn was just trying an elite quest in Hinterlands. Elite enemies are already a strong threat in Hardcore mode, but “Qiaga the Keeper” brings several difficulties with her:
She is in an area surrounded by many other enemies.
She casts a DoT effect, namely Shadow Word: Pain.
She is a humanoid and will flee when she reaches low HP, which may alert other enemies.
Especially this combination causes the deadly incident here. Because Qiaga flees down the stairs of her temple, alerting more enemies. Saltydayn follows her and manages to defeat her.
He then uses “Vanish” and successfully escapes the fight – but only for a fraction of a second. Because he apparently overlooked the “Shadow Word: Pain” debuff on his character. The next damage tick immediately broke his stealth and alerted the casting trolls again, who then dealt the finishing blow.
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Why couldn’t he escape? Rogues are a class that can generally flee from most situations. Because abilities like “Vanish” allow the rogue to re-enter stealth and thus break the fight – at least unless they are prevented from doing so.
Because “Vanish” is no guarantee, and there can be several problems. Enemies can resist the effect and simply continue to beat on the rogue, and debuffs on the character that cause damage (i.e., DoTs) can prematurely end the effect – as in this case.
This set Saltydayn back significantly. He realized that he had become “too greedy” here. However, he does not let it get him down, as the next character is already in the making – even though he has likely lost his place at the top of the “race” irrevocably.
In Pokémon GO the Community Day Classic is on January 4th! We will show you all the tips for the event featuring Piplup.
What kind of event is this? Similar to a regular Community Day, you can catch a specific Pokémon at this event – and that pretty much everywhere in the wild. The main bonus of the event is the increased shiny chance for the Pokémon.
The main difference from the regular Community Day is that the Pokémon has already had such an event. If you missed it back then or couldn’t catch a good specimen, you now have a new chance.
Which Pokémon will appear? The Water-type Pokémon Piplup is the star of the Community Day Classic in January 2025. It can evolve into Prinplup and ultimately Empoleon. And all the info and tips about it are below for you!
Start video
Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
Community Day Classic in December with Piplup – Start & all event bonuses
What? Community Day Classic with Piplup When? Sunday, January 4, 2026 – From 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Exclusive Attack: Hydro Cannon for Empoleon if you evolve it by 9:00 PM on the event day Bonuses: – Increased shiny chance for Piplup – Only a quarter of the hatch distance for eggs – Lure modules last for one hour and attract Piplup until 9:00 PM – Incense lasts 3 hours (not the daily adventure incense) – Snapshot surprises with Piplup – Field research with Piplup
Tips for the Community Day Classic with Piplup
There are a few things you should keep in mind to prepare for and make the most of the Community Day Classic.
The Lure Module Bonus: Your regular lure modules last for one hour and attract Piplup until 9:00 PM. With them, you also get an increased shiny chance and could get a special background with some luck.
Make space: You will need space to catch as many specimens as possible without having to send monsters away in between. Sort out your box beforehand.
Prepare items: You need enough Poké Balls to catch many Piplup. Plan for incense and lure modules as well if you want to use them.
Empty the incubators: Make sure your incubators are empty at the start of the event so you can place monsters in them that you can hatch faster.
Is Piplup worth it? Yes, because Empoleon is a very good attacker. Empoleon with Hydro Cannon is a very good Pokémon in the battle league and can also perform well as a gym and raid attacker. Plus, you can gather candies here if you have a Shadow Empoleon that you want to level up.
Which Mega Evolutions are worth it? If you have an active Water-type Mega Pokémon, you can receive more candies and XP for each Piplup catch.
Basically, Empoleon is a powerful Pokémon that you should secure. But there are many monsters in Pokémon GO that are really worth it if you’re looking for strong gym attackers. To give you an overview, we have compiled the best for you. Here are the currently strongest Pokémon in Pokémon GO sorted by type.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Other games would have crumbled under such chaos, but Hytale is fighting back. However, the lead developer is angry – and wants to harness that anger.
The story surrounding the game Hytale, which many refer to as a “Minecraft lookalike”, is perhaps one of the more bizarre in gaming. The project was supposed to become much bigger and better under Riot than ever planned. The dream seemed to have faded – but Hytale lives on. And the first release is just a few days away, although the new and old owner primarily feels anger.
Start video
Hytale shows 16 minutes of gameplay with the state from 2025, clarifying how exploring and fighting looks
What happened? A few years ago, Hytale had a real hype. The game looked good, preparations for the release were underway, and everything pointed towards success. However, Riot took over the development, the release was postponed – because the entire game was to receive a significantly higher quality. It is actually surprising, considering how good Hytale looked years ago.
The project was then threatened with cancellation, until the original owner offered to buy the game back from Riot – and that is exactly what happened. Hytale is being saved. But this rescue was not only expensive but also requires many sacrifices in the future.
This is what the chief says: The last 4 years were probably not at all productive, as Simon Collins-Laflamme reports on X. He recently bought back Hytale from Riot and reveals how he perceived the last years and what the prevailing emotion is: anger.
People ask me how I feel after I got Hytale back and as we approach the release. Honestly, the transparent answer is anger.
He also elaborates on this and explains how the last years were wasted from his perspective.
The game has insane potential, but 4 years of development have gone into rebuilding the engine instead of gameplay features. This leaves us with a 4-year gap that we need to catch up on, and with a newly built engine that will now never be used.
If you don’t invest in gameplay, you don’t just lose time. You lose momentum, iterations, and player feedback. Now the focus has to be on “gameplay first” and on rebuilding trust by actually releasing things at a fast pace.
Hytale is strongly reminiscent of Minecraft – yet is something entirely its own.
“It’s a damn miracle”
A project that has been developed “into nothing” for 4 years would probably be a reason for most developers to simply bury the matter. After all, the initial hype of Hytale has nearly been extinguished, and only the biggest fans remain. But they are not intimidated and hope to still realize the vision of Hytale. The developers have reportedly achieved nothing less than a miracle in recent days, as stated:
It’s a damn miracle that we were able to save Hytale. It was barely playable. All foundations were broken. The camera, movement, combat, crafting, building, the game loop, the sounds, the rendering. Everything. Just everything was wrong.
That they were apparently able to make quick corrections here is not a reason for the developers to slow down. Quite the opposite. Making up for lost time will be a project that will likely take many, many months:
It should have taken years to fix this, but within weeks we got the game back into a playable, fun state. And now, instead of slowing down or celebrating the release, we have to keep pushing forward for years to catch up on the lost time.
He concludes his summary by stressing the anger once again. Collins-Laflamme does not want this anger to turn into a negative mood, but instead to harness it:
So yes, I feel anger. But I transform this anger into focus and execution. I am putting in more money, more time, and personal sacrifices to deliver the game that this vision deserves.
When can you play Hytale? The release of an “Early Access” version of Hytale is imminent. Starting from January 13, 2026, you will be able to play Hytale – but not on Steam. Hytale will initially only be offered on the official game website. A large launch on Steam is not planned yet, as they expect a lot of negative reviews from players who “are not yet well informed about the work of the [team].” The developers prefer to collaborate with the core community, listen to their feedback, and not get too bogged down by negative reviews on Steam – there will be time for that later.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Who doesn’t enjoy watching a good movie or an exciting series? MeinMMO author Linda Baumgartl has discovered an app that makes the experience even better.
Do you know the feeling: you start a new series, get totally hooked after a few episodes, and can’t wait to talk about it with everyone? At least that often happens to me. Unfortunately, there isn’t always someone around to annoy with my new obsession. And it’s really only fun when the other person knows what it’s about – meaning they’ve watched the series too. Since my friends don’t always share my absolutely amazing, and definitely not occasionally questionable taste in shows, this becomes quite tricky in practice.
So, I quickly started looking for like-minded people online. For movies, I love reading reviews after I’ve seen the film myself. With a good movie, I’m happy when it receives praise from others as well. For a bad movie, it’s fine if it gets dissected down to the smallest detail.
However, I often had a problem with series. If you type the title into social media to dive a bit into the fandom, you will almost definitely get spoiled at some point. Especially if the series has been out for a while. The solution for me was an app called TV Time, which has since become an essential part of my series nights and offers several other practical features.
Start video
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shows in the final trailer that one can expect more humor than in Game of Thrones
All Movies and Series at a Glance
What is this app? TV Time is a platform that allows you to keep track of what you’re watching or want to watch. You can do this either through the website or the corresponding app. An account is free and doesn’t require a subscription or anything.
When you open the app, you first land on your profile. Here you find some statistics, such as the total time of all tracked movies and series. Additionally, there’s an overview of your recent activities and favorites. This allows for quick access, especially to the series you’re currently watching.
Another nice option is the explore tab. Here you can click through movie and series suggestions, filter by genres, and see what’s currently popular. You can easily save interesting titles and view them later on your watchlist. Of course, you can also actively search for something to remember it on your list.
Overview of my current movies and seriesHere you can discover new treasuresMy current watchlist for movies
It becomes even more interesting with series. Here you can not only add series titles to your watchlist. For each series, you additionally have a practical overview where you can precisely note which seasons and episodes you have already watched.
For current series, you can also opt to be notified when new episodes are available.
Overview of a series I am currently watching
Like Social Media, but for Series
The best part of TV Time for me is definitely the community. For each episode of a series, and of course for movies, there is a dedicated comment section. This is where you can perfectly exchange with others. People post pictures of their favorite moments, funny memes, discuss the content, and share interesting facts. This is social media the way I envision it.
Especially for series, this system is simply fantastic. If I want the reactions of others to a specific scene, I don’t have to painstakingly scour the internet. I just go to the respective episode, and I’m likely to find some insightful comments. Plus, I no longer have to worry about spoilers. Even if a spoiler makes its way into a comment section, the community usually tags it reliably and thus hides it.
I find myself increasingly excited to browse the comments on TV Time right after watching an episode. Especially when something particularly shocking, funny, or stupid happens. I can almost see the memes and outraged posts already.
Overall, this makes the series experience so much better for me. I feel like I get to have fun twice: once while watching, and then while reading the comments. And it feels like I watched the series with a bunch of friends – simply wonderful.
Here are a few quick impressions, mostly without spoilers:
As you can see from the pictures, the comments are almost exclusively in English. While you can filter by language in general, my experience has been that it doesn’t work that well, probably because there just aren’t enough German comments.
Of course, TV Time is not the only platform for movies and series on the market. Its special strength compared to competitors lies primarily in the community. Since that is the most important thing for me, I have always stuck with it. However, there are many alternatives for those who value different features. For example:
Letterboxd: The most popular platform for movies. For each movie, you can leave a short review and thus create your own film diary.
Serializd: Specialized in series.
Queue: For movies and series. You can easily copy and paste lists, for example from your notes app, to add them automatically in the app.
Trakt: Can be connected with streaming services to synchronize watched movies and series automatically.
Practical apps are not limited to the movie and series area. Language learning apps are also particularly popular. If you want to practice for your next vacation, we’ve put together a list of the best options for you here on MeinMMO: The best apps for learning languages for your next vacation
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
