A medium shot photo of a person sitting at a gaming desk. They have pink and blonde hair and are wearing a gaming headset.

Advice

Dear Mother: Why can't I seem to finish games?

"What can I do to stay on track with my games? Should I even try to?"

Zoë Hannah Feb 13, 2026

A screenshot from Bayonetta 3 with Bayonetta pointing her guns at something off-screen. She looks pissed

Opinion

Rest in peace, Bayonetta

A full-spoiler explanation as to why queer fans like me felt so disappointed by Bayonetta 3

Maddy Myers Feb 12, 2026

A painting of various D&D characters of different backgrounds and races, gathered around a table full of food, laughing and smiling

Opinion

The tavern keeper I couldn't be: How running a restaurant made me a better Dungeon Master

Being a DM and running a restaurant both require high emotional intelligence and awareness

Joseph Wales Feb 10, 2026

Latest

A close-up of a wired controller sitting on a person's thigh. They are wearing a t-shirt and fishnet tights.

Advice

Dear Mother: It feels like everyone's played these video games. Should I?

How important is the video game canon, after all?

Zoë Hannah Feb 6, 2026

An arm holds up a rainbow flag in the sky.

Feature

We spoke to queer Nigerian gamers about the identities they hide online

Voice chat can mean teamwork, coordination, and banter, but for many of the queer Nigerian gamers we spoke to, the mic is a risk assessment tool.

Beemia Ehitare Feb 5, 2026

Monika sitting at a desk, facing the screen, her hands folded under her chin. In the windows behind her, there's a starry sky filled with explosi

Analysis

The monster was right

How Doki Doki Literature Club exposes dating sims as systems that punish female autonomy

Beatrix Kondo Feb 5, 2026

An over-the-shoulder shot of Mara using a computer on a messy desk in Perfect Tides: Station to Station.

Feature

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is you, me, and Meredith Gran at 18

How can a narrative point-and-click make my heart beat so fast?

Nicole Carpenter Feb 3, 2026

A person sitting at a desk, typing on a laptop. They are wearing a green hoodie and a green hat with cat ears

Advice

Dear Mother...

Curious about how to get your partner into games you love? Hoping to find a new genre that's within your budget? We can help!

Zoë Hannah Feb 2, 2026

Opinion

The moguls again

On difficult ski terrain, difficult games, and difficult career choices

Maddy Myers Feb 2, 2026

A character from Blake Manor surrounded by text boxes describing noticeable things about them that the game's protagonist can use as clues

Feature

The Séance of Blake Manor's lead designer on why she made the game's clock so important

“I am a woman in her 40s who has the brain of a turnip.”

Maddy Myers Jan 29, 2026

The default female Hawke from Dragon Age 2 gazing out across misty mountains. She has short, dark hair and a scar across her nose. She is wearing furs and armor

Opinion

Dragon Age games lack agency, and that's the whole point

All that matters is who you love, and how you do it

Susana Polo Jan 28, 2026

More news

Cozy

Recs

Our favorite cozy games (for now)

All the games I'm playing right now that center empathy, kindness, friendship, and satisfying gameplay.

Zoë Hannah Jan 26, 2026

Indie

Feature

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is you, me, and Meredith Gran at 18

How can a narrative point-and-click make my heart beat so fast?

Nicole Carpenter Feb 3, 2026

Feature

The Séance of Blake Manor's lead designer on why she made the game's clock so important

“I am a woman in her 40s who has the brain of a turnip.”

Maddy Myers Jan 29, 2026

An illustration of an open laptop with the title screen for Spirit Swap, sitting on a desk area strewn with figurines and gaming stuff

Feature

Spirit Swap developer Alex Abou Karam on marketing a game in times of war

"It was really hard [...] to be so focused on making a game about queer, trans, POC joy in the midst of so much abject intentional suffering."

Zoë Hannah Jan 27, 2026

Our writers

Nico Deyo is a feminist media critic who lives in the Midwest with her cat and has written for a variety of publications including Vice Games, Paste, Kotaku and Polygon. Her writing focuses heavily on how games view gender and sexuality.

View articles

Opinion

If your romantic partner purposefully breaks your gaming equipment, that's abuse

Nico Deyo Jan 26, 2026

Nicole Carpenter is a reporter covering the business and culture of games.

View articles

Feature

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is you, me, and Meredith Gran at 18

Nicole Carpenter Feb 3, 2026

Feature

Gunpla is for the girls

Nicole Carpenter Jan 26, 2026

Nicole Clark is an LA-based writer and editor who covers TV, games, health, and tech. She used to run Polygon’s culture section and you can find her work in the NY Times, Aftermath, and elsewhere. She still owns a Gamecube just for Kirby Air Ride.

View articles

Opinion

Hornet’s compassion is the heart of Silksong

Nicole Clark Jan 26, 2026

Susana Polo is an editor and writer with over 15 years of expertise in covering pop culture fan communities. She founded the decade's premier feminist nerd blog, The Mary Sue.com, in 2011, and was a senior editor at Polygon for over a decade.

View articles

Opinion

Dragon Age games lack agency, and that's the whole point

Susana Polo Jan 28, 2026

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