Release date finally announced for Skull and Bones

Your sudden sense of déjà vu is understandable. Ubisoft initially announced Skull and Bones, their highly-anticipated pirate-themed experience, in 2017 for a 2018 release. It’s common knowledge that the game entered production long before the 2017 announcement, but somehow it missed the 2018 release and every supposed release window subsequent to that. 

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Now though, Ubisoft has announced what will hopefully be the final release date. Skull and Bones is expected to hit the market on November 8th for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Google Stadia via the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store. 

Come November 8th, have your cutlass and pistol on hand and prepare to captain your own pirate ship. You’ll be able to accept contracts, wreak havoc on the high seas and plunder merchant ships for their valuable booty. The game will also feature an open-ended type playstyle inspired by the naval combat in Assassins Creed: Black Flag, in which your choices will determine your path. Raise your station within the pirate ranks during the golden age of piracy and become the terror of the seas you always dreamed of while watching the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

You’ll also be able to team up with up to two friends and face other players in PvP combat on the open seas. To try and tamp down the general air of dubiousness after missing so many release windows, Ubisoft has promised to engage in a robust post-launch roadmap spanning multiple years during which they plan to furnish players with regular new content, updates, stories, activities, and free challenges. 

Alongside the abovementioned platforms, Skull and Bones will also be made available on Amazon Luna. Players will be able to purchase a premium edition that will feature numerous cosmetic items for ships and captains, in addition to a ‘Smuggler Pass’ token, a digital art book, and two extra missions. If you pre-order the game, you’ll also be entitled to the ‘Highness of the High Sea Pack’ which will include the Coronation Firework and Notoriety Garb Captian Outfit. 

We’ve been anticipating its arrival for a long time, but it’s finally official: these waters are about to become that much more perilous as the galleons, sloops, and schooners of Skull and Bones roll atop the waves like a dreadfully exciting storm. We cannot wait.

In other Ubisoft news, The Division Resurgence is coming to mobile soon!

The Division Resurgence mobile launch READ MORE

Fall Guys Crown Clash Challenges: How To Unlock Free Fall Guys, Fortnite, And Rocket League Rewards

The addicting, cut-throat game Fall Guys recently went free-to-play and now offers tons of rewards with Crown Clash Challenges. Players can unlock all kinds of unique in-game cosmetics for other Epic Games-sponsored titles. This includes Fortnite and Rocket League.

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The event only runs from June 29th, 2022 to July 11th, 2022, so learn how to unlock all Fall Guys, Fortnite, and Rocket League rewards for Crown Clash challenges here before you run out of time.

How To Earn Crown Clash Challenges Rewards In Fall Guys

It’s not often that various game titles can link up to offer rewards across the games. Think of when No Man’s Sky enabled players to pick up the Normandy from Mass Effect for their fleet. Thanks to Epic owning all of these titles, they can sponsor this event for players to pick up many rewards.

Similarly to how Battle Passes work in Fortnite, players must complete specific challenges to obtain the rewards. Thankfully, the challenges in Fall Guys are very simple: just complete more and more rounds to earn more and more rewards.

But first, you’ll need to make sure your account is set up to save your progress.

Ensure Linked Accounts

Download Fall Guys with the same account you have connected with Fortnite and Rocket League. Alternatively, you can just link your Epic Games account with all three games. For console players, you’ll need to link Epic Games to your console.

Trying to use multiple Epic Games accounts is not recommended; it will disallow you from having all of your rewards transfer properly.

image of Fall Guys Crown Clash Challenges Rewards for Fortnite

Fortnite Crown Clash Rewards

The free-to-play Battle Royale titan has had crossovers with what feels like every franchise. Marvel, DC, Naruto, and John Wick are just the tip of the iceberg. They even include fan-inspired designs and characters based on streamers and musicians.

Fortnite rewards for Crown Clash reimagine a previously introduced character with a new skin and other items. To pick them up, just do the following in any show:

  • Complete 10 Rounds: Stacked! spray
  • Complete 20 Rounds: Stacked with a Love Emoticon
  • Complete 40 Rounds: the Sweet Clementine Pickaxe
  • Complete 70 Rounds: the Waffler back bling
  • Complete 100 Rounds: the Major Mancake skin

Whether you’re a die-hard completionist or you just really love pancakes, picking up these in-game items is probably easier than actually making pancakes.

image of Fall Guys Crown Clash Challenges Rewards for Rocket League

Rocket League Crown Clash Rewards

This Hot Wheels and soccer hybrid has been a casual “turn your brain off” game option for many years now. The number of sick goals and trick shots keeps people coming back, but so does the ever-growing list of cosmetic items.

Rocket League features lots of customization options for players from team colors and names to unique wheels, patterns, and car trails. The Fall Guys Crown Clash Rewards take advantage of that with the following rewards:

  • Complete 10 Rounds: Colorful Canines player banner
  • Complete 20 Rounds: Colorful Canines topper
  • Complete 40 Rounds: Med. Rare wheels
  • Complete 70 Rounds: Cluster Buster decal
  • Complete 100 Rounds: Fallout boost

As showcased by Rocket League Garage, you can see the trail and the topper in action in the image above.

image of Fall Guys Crown Clash Challenges Rewards

Fall Guys Crown Clash Rewards

Grabbing the coveted crown in Fall Guys gets you rewards for the base game, too. They just aren’t as varied as in the other games:

  • Complete 10 Rounds: 300 Kudos
  • Complete 20 Rounds: 500 Kudos
  • Complete 40 Rounds: 800 Kudos
  • Complete 70 Rounds: 1,000 Kudos
  • Complete 100 Rounds: 1,200 Kudos

That means that players who complete all 100 rounds get a grand total of 3,800 Kudos to spend on anything they desire in Fall Guys.

image of Fall Guys characters cheering over in-game currency

Pros & Cons of Crown Clash Challenges

Unlike with other crossover events, there are no loot boxes with rewards based on chance. It’s also not extremely difficult to get any one reward vs. another. The biggest commitment to these challenges is time.

If you can invest the time to complete 100 rounds of Fall Guys, you can get the rewards! You don’t need to be the best of the best, sir (with honors), or be needlessly ruthless to other players (unless you want to be). All you have to do is play.

League of Legends: Wild Rift to introduce new champions and content

Riot Games has officially announced all of the new content coming to League of Legends in the Wild Rift update. Besides numerous new skins, the upcoming update 3.3 will also feature new events, a new game mode, wild pass, champions, items, and much more. 

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The new Wild Rift update to League of Legends will change a good deal about the game. As of the update, Elemental Rift will become the official default map for all Summoner’s Rift game modes. Upon the start of each game, the terrain map will also change to one of the elements. This way, the Elemental Rift update will satisfy player agency and the team goals associated therewith. 

The update also introduces active item swapping which will increase player flexibility as far as enchantments are concerned. Players don’t need to sell their boots to change to a different active through the shop, although this will initiate a short cooldown for your active and cost you some gold.

You’ll also be able to play around with the new Repulsor Enchant which will knock enemies back within a small area around you. It’ll also knock you back if you’re anywhere near the blast. 

Here is a list of all the new skins that will be added alongside Season 6:

  • Star Guardian Ahri
  • Star Guardian Miss Fortune
  • Redeemed Star Guardian Rakan
  • Star Guardian Orianna
  • Star Guardian Rakan
  • Redeemed Star Guardian Xayah
  • Star Guardian Senna
  • Star Guardian Seraphine
  • Glorious Crimson Fiora
  • Star Guardian Xayah
  • Stargazer Karma
  • God Fist Lee Sin
  • Dragon Trainer Tristana
  • Beekeeper Singed
  • Harbinger Kassadin
  • Pool Party Caitlyn
  • Pool Party Graves
  • Warmonger Sion
  • Pool Party Dr. Mundo
  • Pool Party Ziggs
  • Warring Kingdoms Katarina
  • PsyOps Kayle
  • PsyOps Master Yi
  • Warring Kingdoms Jarvan IV
  • PsyOps Samira
  • PsyOps Zed
  • Warring Kingdoms Katarina
  • Lunar Goddess Diana

We’ll also get a new Wild Pass with the update, which will allow you to obtain level 50. As seen above, Star Guardian also joins the Wild Rift update and you will now be able to collect Star Candies and other unique loot during event participation.

You’ll be able to track your mission completion and token collection during event participation with the Redeemed Star Guardian event pass and you’ll be able to pick up extra tokens at the store.

That’s all we have for you on the new Wild Rift update. The update is available on mobile devices now and you can download it directly from our website. In other Riot news, the developer is looking to slow down the League of Legends combat pace.

Slowing down League of Legends combat pace READ MORE

Ubisoft brings its political shooter to mobile with The Division Resurgence

Anyone who enjoys a good tactical military gaming experience is likely a fan of any game with Tom Clancy’s name slapped in front of the title. For fans of mobile games, you too can now enjoy the absolute mayhem and carnage from the Division series that is synonymous with the Clancy brand with this latest installment The Division Resurgence

According to Ubisoft, the game’s publisher, you can expect the new title to yet again take place in New York City and will feature a ‘vast open world’ that players will be able to roam around freely. Ubisoft has also stated that The Division: Resurgence builds upon the game modes showcased in previous titles but that the new title will ship with unique loot.

The game is going to be free-to-play by nature, but Ubisoft hasn’t given much information on how microtransactions will factor into the mobile experience. As anyone who’s played AAA-mobile titles before would say though, you can assume that there will likely be some level of pay-to-win mechanics involved. 

Another thing we haven’t got from Ubisoft yet is a clear release date for the game. However, those so inclined can register now for a chance to try the game on for size in the closed alpha test. 

Following the narrative of the Division series, the game likely deals with the aftermath of a genetically engineered virus known only as ‘Green Poison.’ We don’t have much more information on the game sadly, but through research, we have found that the game is likely not based explicitly on any of Tom Clancy’s novels, even though it bears the illustrious author’s name.

From what we can tell though, the game may take inspiration from a Tom Clancy novel written in 2000 called Bio Strike. The subject matter of the game was also likely referenced at the beginning of Rainbow Six, another book by Clancy. Looking at what we know about the game so far, it seems to take heavy inspiration from two real-world events in human history; Operation Dark Winter and Directive 51.

 
We’ll have to wait a little longer for any additional information on the game. In the meantime, however, you can enjoy other titles from the Tom Clancy Ubisoft stable like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction.

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Meta is claiming that its new AI represents a breakthrough in high-quality machine translation

Ever since Facebook changed its name to Meta, everybody’s focus has been on the metaverse. It seems, however, that Meta has also been working on other big projects incorporating other frontier technologies like AI and machine learning. Today, the company unveiled a new AI model that it says will be a game-changer for language translation. Let’s check it out now.

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Meta has announced via a blog post and YouTube video that its new AI model can translate 200 languages all on its own. The model is called NLLB-200 and it has already been validated by extensive evaluations of translation across all 200 different languages.

One of the reasons why Meta thinks this new model will be a game-changer for translation is because it is able to translate languages that current translation tools still struggle with. The blog post says:

“Fewer than 25 African languages are currently supported by widely used translation tools — many of which are of poor quality. In contrast, NLLB-200 supports 55 African languages with high-quality results. In total, this single model can provide high-quality translations for languages spoken by billions of people around the globe.”

What’s also great news from this announcement is that, on top of using NLLB-200 to support communication across Meta apps and services, the company is also open-sourcing the tool as well as making a variety of research materials available for those who may seek to use it.

Of course, this type of technology will also be useful in a metaverse setting, with Meta saying “… we are closer to one day having systems that enable people to communicate with whomever they choose. We’re excited by what this unlocks in the present and what it could mean for the future…”. Still, however, this is a very positive story that will do a lot to help people feel more included and involved in the growing virtual aspects of our world.

If you are interested in the metaverse you might want to learn about the Facebook Gaming partnership that will give you the tools you need to build your own metaverses.

YouTube users are being targeted with a fake Bitcoin mining scam

Recently we’ve been warning users across many different apps, websites, and social networks about scams that have been targeting their users. Today it is YouTube users who need to heed our warnings as a new scam has been spotted that is seemingly targeting bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiasts. Let’s take a look.

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Cybersecurity specialists and researchers AI cyber risk and threat intelligence firm Cyble have found more than 80 YouTube videos that have links to fake Bitcoin mining software that is actually for an installer file for PennyWise, which is a malicious piece of malware.

At the time of discovery, the videos had relatively few views but Cyble reports that the scammers behind the malware have implemented several social engineering tactics to try and portray legitimacy and instil confidence in the victim to hit the download button.

The first of these is making the downloadable file password protected. As you can see in the screenshot above, the password is given right next to the download link but protecting the file behind a password still helps to build trust with unwitting victims. The second of these methods is a link to a VirusTotal page that supposedly says the file is safe. This second one even comes with an instruction to deactivate any antivirus if it tries to block the download.

Once PennyWise has infected a device it steals a lot of information from the many browsers it is able to target, which include more than 30 Chrome-based browsers, more than 5 Mozilla-based browsers, Opera and Microsoft Edge. It then proceeds to steal things like, “the username, the machine name, the system language and timezone from the victim’s operating system.” It also runs constant checks to see if there is active antivirus on the device and to determine whether it is running inside a sandbox or a virtual machine. Once it has all the browser information it moves onto cryptocurrency wallets.

Again, what we have here is a phishing scam that is attempting to lure users into wilfully downloading malicious files onto their PCs. This means that to protect yourself from this type of threat you need to be vigilant about all links you click and every file you download to your device. To help you do this, we have put together an anti-phishing infographic.

Image via: Tech Republic

There are fake Word docs going around that contain almost undetectable malware

Another malware scam has popped up that is hiding malicious files inside of seemingly legitimate files. Also, in a callback to the fake job offers that contained malware, which we reported on a while back, this scam is hidden inside infected Microsoft Word docs that are pretending to be legitimate CVs. Here is what you need to look out for.

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Researchers at threat intelligence specialists Unit 42 based at Palo Alto Networks first spotted a threat back in May and have since been analyzing and breaking down the threat it represents. They say that the malicious payload was created using a tool called Bruce Ratel (BRC4), which incredibly has its own website where it is sold. The site describes the tool as, “A Customized Command and Control Center for Red Team and Adversary Simulation.”

This particular scam starts with a seemingly innocuous CV of a guy named Roshan Bandara. Straight away though, there are warning signs that should make potential victims stop and think. Unusually, the CV comes in the form of an ISO file, which is a disk image file and it is only after users have clicked on it that they can see the fake Word doc with the title “Roshan-Bandara_CV_Dialog”. When users click on this it opens up CMD.EXE and runs the OneDrive updater to retrieve and install BRC4.

BRC4 then goes on to perform many malicious actions on the victim’s devices, which anybody who has read our malware reports before will be familiar with. For Unit 42, however, what is most eye-catching about this form of attack is the method used to pull it off, they say:

“This tool is uniquely dangerous in that it was specifically designed to avoid detection by endpoint detection and response (EDR) and antivirus (AV) capabilities. Its effectiveness at doing so can clearly be witnessed by the aforementioned lack of detection across vendors on VirusTotal.”

This means that this new threat is able to get past over 50 different antivirus programs undetected, meaning you won’t get any sort of automated warning if it gets onto or near your device. You will be your main line of defense against this threat as most antivirus programs won’t even know it is there. To help you stay safe we have put together an infographic to help you spot fake files like this one.

Image via: Unit 42

First view – How to use the iOS 16 improved Home app in 5 steps

With the upcoming release of iOS 16 scheduled for September, many users are excited about the new Home app. App has announced that they’ve completely developed the Home app to make it more reliable and functional while also improving the user experience. Users participating in the iOS 16 beta testing have already had a chance to experience the brand new app, and it looks a lot better. But, how do you use the app?

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In this article, we’ll be taking a first look at the new Home app launching with iOS 16 and how to use the iOS improved Home app. Keep reading to discover how easy it can be to monitor all the devices in your home and customize the experience according to how you live.

Useful features included in the new Home app

The Home app, which was available in previous iOS versions, has received a complete overhaul. It has a new design that makes navigating, viewing, and controlling all your accessories and smart devices in your home easier. The developers have also made a lot of improvements to the underlying architecture to enhance the performance of your smart home and make the app more reliable and efficient.

Some of the improvements and new features of the Home app on iOS 16 include:

  • More categories for easier access and customization.
  • A whole-house view is right on the home screen.
  • A new camera view was added to the home screen displaying up to four cameras.
  • Tile designs have been improved to be more recognizable and easy to use.
  • Updated architecture improves the app’s speed – especially in a home with many smart devices.
  • New lock screen widget so you can quickly see what’s happening in your home.
  • Matter support is coming later in the year.

Besides these items, there was also news that the new iOS 16 might let you bypass those annoying CAPTCHAs.

iOS 16 lets us bypass CAPTCHA verifications READ MORE

How to use the new iOS 16 Home app

The Home app provides a convenient platform from which users can monitor and manage all the smart devices in their homes. In this redesigned app, you can scroll through security camera feeds, lock doors, turn off lights, and much more. Let’s take a look at how to start using the Home app.

  1. Open the Home app

    First view - How to use the iOS 16 improved Home app

    First, you need to open the Home app on your Apple device with iOS 16. You can either tap on the app icon in your app menu or use the handy widget if you’ve added it to your home screen.

  2. Add your accessories

    First view - How to use the iOS 16 improved Home app

    The basic accessories shown by default at the top of the screen are ‘Climate’, ‘Lights’ and ‘Security’. If you want to change this or add more accessories, press the ‘+’ icon at the top right of your screen.

  3. Expand accessories for more details

    First view - How to use the iOS 16 improved Home app

    By pressing on the accessory icon, you’ll get a detailed overview of all the devices under that category and their current status. For example, tapping on climate will give you an overview of the local weather, but it’ll also give you a breakdown of the climate in all rooms containing climate-changing devices such as windows, fans, air conditioners and more.

  4. Reorder sections

    First view - How to use the iOS 16 improved Home app

    Press on the Home icon in the bottom left of your screen to go back to the home page. Here you can see an overview of your home’s different sections. By pressing on the setting, represented by three dots, in the upper right of your screen, you can adjust the order of the sections by dragging and dropping them where you want.

    By doing this, you can completely customize the way you see sections according to how you use your home. For example, if security is important, you might want to move the camera view to the top. In settings, you’ll also find more ways to customize the app, such as choosing wallpapers and more.

  5. Scroll through to see what’s happening in your home

    First view - How to use the iOS 16 improved Home app

    On the home page, you can scroll through the different sections representing different rooms in your house to get a quick overview of what’s going on in your home. Selecting any section will expand to a detailed view giving you even more information.

10 best free games for your holidays

Let’s face it, playing games has become such an expensive hobby to have. Does anyone remember when you could pick up a good game for a couple of dollars, shove it into the disc drive of the family PC and play for hours on end? Or at least until someone else needed to use the only means of accessing the internet in the house.

We can’t give you a time machine and make franchises like The Sims and Grand Theft Auto more affordable to play again, but we can take you back to that simpler time with our list of the 10 best PC games you can play for free right now for the holidays!

Raid: Shadow Legends

Raid: Shadow Legends is one of the best mobile RPGs in the genre’s history, and now, you can play it for free on PC. You’ll need to demonstrate some strategic thinking to claim mastery over Raid’s turn-based squad management and combat mechanics, But once you do, you can take your fight online and team up with other players.

Here, you can engage in co-op-style raids and defeat rival squads to claim incredible rewards. Raid features in excess of 300 unique heroes that you can collect, and each has its own abilities and stats that you can tweak and change to get the best out of your squad and your individual character’s strengths. 

Raid: Shadow Legends DOWNLOAD
Best Free Games for Your Holidays

World of Tanks

World of Tanks is a free multiplayer game for Windows in which players are thrown headfirst into massive tank battles. Choose your tank and battle it out against players and tank enthusiasts from all over the internet. This game, developed by Wargames.net, features high-end graphics and streamlined controls that’ll keep you entertained for hours.

Choose from a plethora of realistic and historically accurate tanks to use as you locate and destroy enemy forces. You can even customize your tanks to your liking to set them apart from those of your enemies. Even though the game is free, it does contain some premium features that you can purchase using the in-game currency. 

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Lost Ark

Smilegate Entertainment brings you Lost Ark, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game – MMORPG – set in a stunning fantasy-themed world. Roam the 7 vast continents of this fantasy world and experience various cultures, themes, and adversaries to fight along the way.

Even though this game can feel a little like a full-blown grinder at times, it has so much content for you to immerse yourself in as you take on the multitudes of missions Lost Ark has to offer. Choose between various classes and characters with which to explore the world around you. Unlike many other MMORPGs, each class in Lost Ark features distinct gameplay mechanics that set it apart from other classes. 

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Magic: The Gathering Arena is a free game for PC and mobile that brings the excitement of the card game of the same name to your digital devices. For anyone not familiar with the popular card game, this game requires you to battle your opponents from a choice of 15 unique card decks. The game has an easy-to-follow tutorial mode that will teach you all you need to win your first match against AI players.

Thereafter, you can head online and battle players from all over the world. The game has a lot of customization options and you can customize everything from your avatar to your card sleeves, and even your in-game pet. Even though the game is free to download, it does have some premium content that you can access with in-game rewards or real-world currency. 

Magic: The Gathering Arena DOWNLOAD
Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Trove

If you’re looking for an MMO that looks eerily like Minecraft, look no further than Trove. Trove is a free massively multiplayer online game that features numerous classes of characters inspired by classics within the sword and sorcery spheres. Similar to the great classic MMOs from which it takes inspiration, Trove centers around grinding for more and better gear and taking on other players in various PvP modes.

The game receives regular updates that add new game modes and dungeons, and everything in-between. Because of the increased emphasis on grinding out gear and resources, Trove is excellent for the casual gaming hobbyist, and the perfect game to take on during these holidays. 

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Apex Legends

Apex Legends has risen through the ranks to become one of the best battle royale games on the market. This free game by the developers of Titanfall is a classic interpretation of the battle royale format injected with an exciting cast of diverse characters and gameplay options. Select from different classes of Legends to create the perfect squad composition.

Then, swoosh down zip lines, skid down slopes, and clamber through buildings as you take on rival squads in a race to be the last squad standing. Apex Legends feels intuitive and well-formulated and the fact that this incredible game is free should be all the encouragement you need to try it out for yourself. 

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Path of Exile

Path of Exile is a Diablo-esque role-playing game and dungeon crawler. There are so many RPGs that are like Diablo at this point, but this is definitely one of the most solid and best-executed games in this niche category. Path of Exile is the perfect way to spend a quiet holiday, adventuring through the dark fantasy world with a friend or two.

You’ll be confronted with a dizzying amount of areas to explore, each with a wide variety of monsters to vanquish. Even though Path of Exile features a microtransaction system, it’s not overly obtrusive and you’ll have more than enough free content in the form of free expansions that drop every month. 

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

League of Legends

League of Legends is a 5v5 base attack staple inspired by Dota. While this game takes its primary mechanics and formulation from Dota, it introduces a completely unique lineup of playable characters. Furthermore, this lineup is expanded upon often which keeps League of Legends feeling fresh. Take note though that this game features one of the most challenging-to-reach skill ceilings in any game of its kind, with many players calling the game easier than Dota, but far more nuanced.

Simply put, if you become one of League of Legends’ best players, you’ll be considered a tactical genius. Given that the game has more than 100 million players each month, you’ll find competitors easily and it’s thus one of the best games if you’re looking for camaraderie and a healthy dose of friendly competition. 

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

D&D Beyond

High fantasy of this caliber is not often found for free. D&D Beyond is a free digital format of the classic Dungeons and Dragons experience. If you would jump at the chance to experience some of the most famous, or infamous, fantasy realms that have ever existed, you might want to check out D&D Beyond.

In this game, you can check out the land of Eberron or the Forgotten Realms and don the finery of a legendary spellcaster or the well-worn boots of a fiendish thief. Take on dragons and demons and explore incredible dungeons as you relive one of the greatest board games ever created.  

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Spelunky Classic

We end our list of top 10 free games to enjoy this holiday with one we can hardly believe is still free. Spelunky Classic is one of the best platformers we’ve ever seen and it takes an 8-bit adventure to a whole new level. Enjoy gameplay inspired by classics like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros.

In this procedurally generated slice of 8-bit heaven. Avoid obstacles like snakes, ice caves, boulders, and bats as you make your way through this visually appealing world hunting various treasures.

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Best Free Games for Your Holidays

Google rushes out an important Chrome security update

With Chrome being the most popular web browser by quite some way, it is often targeted with security threats and zero-day bugs. That means that sometimes when Google pushes out a security update for Chrome you shouldn’t wait for it to download automatically but should instead activate the update yourself. This is one of those times.

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The zero-day bug in question here affects Google Chrome on Windows, Mac, and Android and is already being exploited by hackers and scammers. The security issue can cause arbitrary code execution, which opens up your device to a wide variety of potential problems. Fortunately, however, Google has already released a patch for the issue.

In the Chrome Releases Google Blog post announcing the fix, Google didn’t actually say too much about the vulnerability or the fix. The only thing of note really that Google has said is that it knows the issue exists and is in the wild exploiting victims. That means it is important that you patch the issue quickly, which we’ll show you how to do now.

To update Google Chrome to the latest version you need to open Chrome and then go to the menu by clicking the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the screen. From there select Settings and then you are going to look for the About Chrome button at the bottom of the menu. Clicking this will likely trigger the update, but if it doesn’t hit the Update button. If there is no Update button or if there was and you have already clicked it, you need to click Relaunch. Doing so will restart Chrome, complete with the new security update safely installed.

Once you’ve followed the above steps, your version of Google Chrome will be safe from the zero-day bug that Google says is exploiting unprotected users in the wild.

If you are still worried about viruses, bugs, and malware even with this fix for Chrome you should check out our guide to the best antivirus software for running on computers with lower resources. It will ensure you stay safe no matter how new or powerful your PC is.