Games

The best co-op games on PC in 2024

By admin April 2, 2024

The best co-op games on PC in 2024, Playing games with other people is one of the beloved traditions of liking video games at all, and if you’re the friendly type like us at RPS, then you’ll enjoy games where you work with others, rather than against them. That’s why we’ve put together our list of the best co-op games on PC for you to find common ground with your besties. Whether you want to shoot monsters together, shoot robots together, or get a divorcing couple to work together as they run around their own home as tiny doll versions of themselves, then you can find something to enjoy on this list of co-op games.

We have broad tastes and definitions sometimes, but key for a co-op game is that you can play with a pal without fighting against each other – even if there might be friendly fire. This means you won’t find any team-based competitive games on this list, such as Dota or Counter-Strike, for example. That’s what our best multiplayer games list is for. We’ve also excluded games that switch between PvP and PvE like Sea Of Thieves of DayZ. They’re all great games, but they belong on a different list.

The best co-op games on PC

Here’s our full list of the best co-op games on PC. You can have a casual scroll through or click the links below to be directed straight to the game in question.

25. Monster Hunter Rise

After Monster Hunter World rampaged onto PC, the bar for Capcom’s next entry in the dino-adjacent beast-hunting series was high, but Monster Hunter Rise is every bit its predecessor’s equal and makes for a thrilling co-op adventure. That’s why we’ve booted World off the list and replaced it with Rise. That’s evolution, baby.

If you’re not familiar with Monster Hunter, it’s essentially a giant playpen where you and your friends can go out and, well, hunt monsters. The biggest appeal is a group of you wailing on some titan, but there’s a comradery and teamwork in Monster Hunter Rise that is different from other co-ops. You all have to meet in a tavern, eat a big hearty meal before you set off, make sure you all have everything you need, and then off you go, skipping into the deep dark woods where the scary monsters await. It’s these little rituals that really make it shine as a co-op.

24. Lethal Company (early access)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Steam always has to have at least one co-op ghosty game in early access, over which people are going bananas. Right now that game is Lethal Company, and not without reason. It’s a bit of a horror game, as you form up in teams for some good old PVE. As contractors for the Company, you collect scrap from abandoned haunted moons that used to be industrial centres. Successfully salvaging enough scrap earns you cash, which you can use to jet off to new moons with more rewards. The trade off, of course, is higher risk.

There are mundane risks like traps, which one player can spot from the ship scanner and call out to those on the mission. But there are, of course, monsters to contend with, especially at night. Some you’ll only find indoors, while others stalk you on open ground. It’s a great mix of learning a bestiary and knowing what to do in different situations, with having a concrete goal (get salvage), and there are many and varied ways to die, so you learn quickly. If you got tired of Phasmophobia and are looking for something new in the same vein, this is it.

23. Escape Academy

Escape rooms in real life are a lot of fun but extremely expensive for it. Escape Academy combines the twin benefits of being comparatively cheap and being designed by developers who made escape rooms in real life! It’s a great co-op game, whether you’re playing online or via asymmetrical couch co-op (i.e. one of you playing the game and the other writing things down and shouting).

The titular academy is a school where the entire curriculum is based around room escapes. Even art, which seems like a stretch. Each level is a timed escape, often in somewhat dangerous circumstances that you’d imagine would drive the school’s insurance premiums up, with secret codes, cryptic clues, and much frantic running around a library or a locked office as you collect special books, or put post-it notes in the right order.

It’s the right balance of fun and tense, and gets you all reacting exactly as you would if thrown into the Crystal Maze, fruitlessly telling each other you’ve found a paint tin, is that anything? The big, colourful 3D world is non-violent but successfully thrilling, and there are a bunch of DLCs to get stuck into, too.

22. V Rising

V-rising casts you as a freshly awoken vampire on a quest to conquer the human world. It’s an open-world survival game where you and your vampire squad reap havoc on neighbouring towns in search of blood, all while building a lavish castle and exploring the surrounding gothic world.

Crafting and combat are easily accessible – this isn’t a mega difficult survival game – and gaining your vampiric powers (the best part of the game) is quick work, since V Rising’s boss-focused progression is easy enough to follow. You can decide to join PVP or PVE, but if you’d rather have your vampire rule their own little slice of the human world, you can set up your own world and invite your mates to join. V Rising is highly recommended for folks who are looking for a breezy survival sim, but with just enough meat to sink your teeth into.

21. Overcooked 2

Overcooked and its sequel Overcooked 2 are both are silly games of simmering and sizzling, the physical manifestation of the phrase “too many cooks spoil the broth”. You’re in a kitchen with up to three other players, and you have to make food to order by preparing and combining certain ingredients. To get this done properly, everyone needs to carry out their appointed tasks pronto. Thing is, it doesn’t always work out that way.

The kitchens of Overcooked are constantly changing. Narrow spaces mean players get in each other’s way. Sometimes the whole level shifts. Benches on a ship will slide down the deck with each large wave, altering the layout entirely, while cooking in two trucks means that one part of the kitchen will occasionally accelerate, suddenly becoming off-limits. How will you get the chow off the hob before it boils into an inedible paste? By shouting at your fellow chefs, of course.

Overcooked 1 and 2 are much the same, but it’s 2 we’d recommend. For one, it’s now got online multiplayer as well as local, letting you play with those geographically distant friends. For two, you can now throw ingredients back and forth between chefs. Your co-chef needs more mushrooms? Maybe he’ll catch the one you just threw to him; maybe it’ll bonk him right in the face.

20. Stardew Valley

There is a lot of shooting and adventuring on this list, but very few opportunities to hang out in a turnip field. Stardew Valley lets you live out an alternate life as a farmer, away from the hustle and bustle of cities and video games with guns. It’s about escape. Ever since the multiplayer update, you can now escape with friends.

It provides a place to be rather than a challenge to overcome. Each of you gets to dodder around town, either working together and divvying up tasks or ploughing away at individual farms. It’s not that the Valley feels sterile without other humans, but there are only so many blackberries you can hand over to your NPC neighbours before your relationships start feeling one dimensional. With real people in the mix, you get an actual community. Maybe your pal has a spare melon you can give to Penny for her birthday. Maybe they’ll bake you a cake. Or steal your chickens.

People breathe warmth and life into this farming game fantasy that’s already about those things. You’ve got the freedom to pursue whatever charming humdrum activity takes your fancy. Go fishing. Comb the beach. Or, if you want, mercilessly compete to see who can optimise profits. It’s your farm.

19. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

You can play through the whole of Vegas 2’s brilliant but flawed campaign with a friend, rappelling down walls, breaching windows and taking out terrorists in unison. While that will keep you busy a while, it’s Terrorist Hunt – a mode where you team up with three buddies to hunt down a set amount of enemies across large sandbox maps – that will keep you coming back.

Guns are powerful and fast; death comes faster. This makes methodically creeping through the maps as a unit, covering corners and assaulting defended positions, an incredibly tense affair. This only ramps up when your squad inevitably gets picked apart on the harder difficulties, right up until three of you are sat watching the lone survivor, the whole success of the mission pinned on them scraping through. It could even be down to you and you’ll feel the tension ramp up as you suddenly become aware of being judged.

18. Payday 2

If you’ve never played Payday 2 or its predecessor, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was about perfect planning, stealth and crowd control. The reality is a bit different, and it usually goes like this: the four of you excitedly chat about how you’re going to approach a heist, you split up, someone fudges it almost instantly and every police officer in the world turns up to shoot you all in the head.

It’s more wave defense than precision stealth, with each player setting up traps, sharing ammo and trying to keep the police at bay as a timer ticks down. It’s chaotic and messy, but the shooting is weighty enough and the skill trees are satisfying to advance through. It’s possible get through each of the heists without raising an alarm, but it’s bloody hard and you stand very little chance until you’ve unlocked some of the more advanced skills. Still, the possibility hangs there like a 24 carat carrot, nudging you all to have another go until you’ve perfected every scenario.

17. Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

The best example of asymmetry in co-op. It involves at least two players – one of you is defusing a bomb with judicious mouse clicks and cautious wire snips, the other is giving instructions from a bomb-defusing manual. Neither player can look at what the other is doing. It’s one of the most perfect set-ups for the destruction of a healthy relationship and a fantastic example of leaving the screen itself behind.

You don’t have to print out the manual to read from it (you could just read the PDF file from a laptop) but we think it’s the best way to play. You flip hurriedly through pages, trying to decipher the theory of these explosive devices. Then comes the challenge of communicating the quirks and symbols of the page in a way that won’t be misunderstood. As the bomb handler, you’re consistently double-checking and second-guessing your team mate as they stammer out their directions. In the end, you’ve just got to trust them.

16. Arma 3

Arma 3 takes place on a pair beautiful fictional Greek islands. It does have a single-player campaign, but it’s that island, the vehicles, guns and mechanics, and the painstaking attention to detail, that makes Arma 3 great. It’s a platform for the community to create their own games upon, and there’s enough community made content that if you get into it, you could be playing Arma 3’s cooperative mode to the exclusion of any other game.

There’s something about Arma’s design philosophy that makes it especially well suited to playing with other people. Partly there’s the realism, which obviously lends itself well to the kinds of genuine squad tactics you can enact when playing with some dedicated friends or a committed community like ShackTac. Partly it’s the way in which the islands are designed in spite of you, not in service to you, making your steady journeys across the landscape with another person feel more satisfying than overcoming a set of contrived obstacles. Hopefully one of you is a good pilot.

15. Dead by Daylight

This is one for folks who love playing as the monster. Dead By Daylight is an asymmetrical survival horror sim not for the squeamish. In this 4vs1 co-op, three players take on the role of survivors and one player the killer, in a cat-and-mouse style multiplayer game with simple goals. Survivors must repair five out of seven generators scattered throughout a level to power the exit and escape. The killer, meanwhile, is hunting them, and can strike survivors with a weapon, and then drag them to a hanging hook and impale them on it. Ew.

Skills and abilities are balanced between the survivors and the killer; the killer, for example, is faster than the survivors in general, but is slower at specific tasks, like having to destroy obstacles instead of vaulting over them. With a spookily long list of Killers to play as (including horror film and game favourites like Ghost Face, Pyramid Head, and Michael Myers) there’s plenty of spooky fun to be found with this one.

14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Here’s a good ol’ fashioned beat-em-up, courtesy of Tribute Games. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is an old-school side-scroller that pays homage to the TMNT games of bygones past. If you’re a fan of the sewer-dwelling reptiles then you’ll love the pixelart renditions of favourite characters from the series, both heroes and villains alike.

This entry is a little different from others on our co-op list, in that its co-op playstyle is much more laid-back than many others of its stress-inducing co-op cohort. What’s great about Shredder’s Revenge that its undemanding basic button-mashing becomes one of its biggest strengths, making it perfect for groups of friends who just want an arcadey jaunt while also having a nice chinwag surrounded by empty pizza boxes.

13. Valheim

Valhiem’s Steam page describes it as “brutal” but I actually think this is one of the most relaxing co-op games on this list. There’s something for everyone here. If you’d like to focus on laid-back Viking settlement building and boar hunting in a peaceful environment you can hang out in the sandbox’s first area and do exactly that; if you and your friends are looking for some proper Viking action, you can head off into the world and get your butt beaten by skeletons, grey dwarfs, trolls, and its beastly Norse-themed bosses.

Valheim is still in early access, but there is already loads stuffed into its open world for you to dive into. A beginner’s tip: watch out for falling trees. Seriously, they can straight-up kill you in one splat.

12. Deep Rock Galactic

It’s a simple pitch: a group of dwarven friends with class-based skills walk into an asteroid, mine for materials, and fight back the critters who fancy them for dinner. What complicates matters is the need to leave again: once their pockets are full, the dwarves have got five minutes to down pickaxes and reach an escape pod before it leaves without them.

This is even more complicated than it seems, because the asteroid’s tunnels and caverns are a twisting warren interspersed with enormous drops. Re-trace your path inwards in reverse, in a rush, and it’s easy to get lost – and those drops are now, of course, climbs. If you thought to make your ad hoc constructions two-way when you threw them up on the way in, then no problem. If you were hasty, or if your platforms were destroyed by explosive enemies, then you’re going to need to construct a new route. The adrenaline rush of your extraction is a thrill with friends over voice comms all panicking together.

11. Diablo 4

Like Diablos before it (notably Diablo 3), Diablo 4 is a muddy, grim fantasy world beset by demons, which means it’s sensible to take a friend or two. And, again like previous Diablo games, it’s playable with a squad of four from start fo finish, with drop in multiplayer that tracks progress you made so you can go back to it in single-player if you want. But why would you bother! Exploding skeletons and werewolf monsters is a breeze in Diablo 4, requiring a lot of clicking and spamming your favourite DOT spells, but little else. This means you have a lot of time to bond with your friends.

That’s maybe reductive; one of the best things about Diablo 4 is that it has an admirably freeing levelling system for all the classes, so you can respec on the fly to suit whoever you’re playing with. And if a particular boss is giving you trouble, you can change tactics. Get your Rogue a spell to go invisible so you can more easily res your colleagues, while you can change your Necromancer’s spell path to have more debuffing spells, giving your Barbarian attacks more bite, and you’re on your way to victory.

10. Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 is classic “bigger is better” sequel design: everything you liked in Borderlands 2 (still a great co-op romp in itself) but with more. More gun variables, more character abilities, more locations, more vehicles, more rifles that grow legs and run around as a lead-spewing sidekick. The only thing it has less of is Claptrap, which is a blessing. And so it makes sense that co-op is the way to go in this bombastic FPS game.

At any one time one friend could be ordering a giant battle ant into the fray while another hops into a Titanfall-ish mech suit, a third activates a drone and a holographic double and the fourth performs psychic powerbombs in the middle of it all. The way these character skills can be further differentiated means you never really know which version of each character you’ll be rubbing shoulders with, turning co-operative sessions into a showcase for builds. Of course, the main takeaway is always: I want my own battle ant.

Importantly, it’s a friendlier co-op game than Borderlands 2, too. With instanced loot drops, players don’t have to fight over the same spoils of war, and the difficulty scales to each combatant, so a casual dabbler can comfortably leap into an old pro’s game.

9. It Takes Two

Hazelight have a knack for designing clever, co-op-only puzzle games, and It Takes Two is definitely their best yet. You and a mate play as bickering couple May and Cody, who get turned into tiny doll versions of themselves after upsetting their daughter. Despite their relationship being the verge of a big divorce bust-up, they must work together to get back to their normal selves, and maybe learn a few life lessons along the way.

It’s not the happiest of stories, all told (and features some truly horrifying moments involving stuffed toys and broken vacuum cleaners), but its puzzles are absolutely top notch. Players must really work together to conquer It Takes Two’s imaginative obstacle courses, and its range of ideas is a clear step up from Hazelight’s first co-op-only game, A Way Out. Even better, only one person needs to actually buy the game, as every copy comes with a free friend pass for your player two.

8. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition

While many are purists when it comes to From Software’s masterful action RPG, refusing to summon help or forcing themselves to equip just underwear whilst wielding only an overgrown twig, Dark Souls is fantastic in co-op. You can jump in with a friend, with a bit of planning, taking turns to help each other through each section. Even without friends, though, Dark Souls will have you forming bonds with silent strangers.

There’s an unwritten etiquette to the Souls games that sees people treating each other with respect, bowing to each other once summoned and waving each other off or cheering after a defeated boss. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of relief when a summoned co-op partner helps you finally beat Ornstein and Smough – the only thing that comes close is paying it back later, becoming the saviour in someone else’s story. Adam said it best in our review: “It’s superb, populating an already haunted world with phantoms and memories, and providing an eventual gateway by which to become an all-but anonymous hero or villain.”

7. Spelunky

Spelunky is a moreish 2D platformer with roguelike elements that kicks your arse until it straightens your spine. Although the geometry might be constantly shifting with each frequent death, the rules that govern the enemy types remain constant. After a while, reflexes handle the enemies of The Mines – it’s like peeking into another dimension, but instead of losing your mind you become Neo. Can you dodge bullets? Yes.

Co-op changes the rules, making it perfect for seasoned players to team up. You might think things would be easier with more health and attack power, but stunning, whipping and blowing each other up will be a regular occurrence in the claustrophobic confines of the levels. More players only add more complication and four player co-op is chaos, creating more hilarious ways to fail. Timing, as ever, is key. Now see if you can make it to Hell with friends.

6. Grand Theft Auto V

Los Santos is a gorgeous playground, each bend in the road bringing you level with a postcard view – every angle feels scrutinised. Trace a route from the peak of Mt. Chiliad, driving down through the dusty plains of the Grand Senora Desert, snaking by the hilltop mansions of Vinewood Hills, cruising on through the twinkling city itself and finally coming to stop at Vespucci Beach – all this, including the skies above and the sea beyond, is your online playground.

Grand Theft Auto Online is stuffed full of co-op scenarios, but the best experiences are found in the Heists. These multi-part missions ask you and three other players to take part in everything from the setup – casing the joint and grabbing getaway vehicles – all the way to the caper itself. While not all of them are literal heists, each one does an incredible job of making sure all four players are busy.

Everyone has their own job to do, sometimes all together, sometimes in pairs and sometimes alone. This, along with the randomness of the open-world’s systems, gives each one massive replay value. The only real downside is that you really need to play with three friends to get the most out of it. With each heist taking a couple of hours from setup to execution, it can be as difficult to organise as an actual heist.

5. Minecraft

Nobody knew how huge Minecraft would be when the alpha released in 2010, but there were hints of it even from the first few hours, when the game’s initial players started building rudimentary shapes and sharing screenshots of what they’d created.

Today, Minecraft is played by people of all ages. Part of its appeal, aside from its openness, is the social aspect. Whether helping your child stave off monsters as you build a fantasy land together or collaborating with a group of adults to make a working hard drive, there’s something for everyone.

You can even play it as an RPG, killing mobs with your co-op partner, levelling up and building equipment to grow stronger, with the eventual goal of taking on the final boss, the Ender Dragon. Minecraft is whatever you want it to be and you can play it all with friends.

4. Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on the Dungeons & Dragons world and ruleset, and that’s a party-based tabletop roleplaying game – so why wouldn’t you want to make it a party in its digi-form? BG3 is the tale of a rag-tag bag of heroes saving a lush fantasy world, getting into scrapes, meeting weird NPCs, and engaging in huge turn-based battles against monsters and ghouls. Much of this, like Larian’s Divinity games, is based on using the different skillsets and abilities of your characters effectively, and that’s much easier to do when the different characters are specced and controlled by other people, rather than you juggling it all yourself.

Unlike other co-op games, Baldur’s Gate’s co-op is tied to a single save and campaign. No fairweather dropping in and out! But this makes it feel like more of a collegiate story that you’re telling together, like an adventure you’re having as a group. Like, in fact, a game of Dungeons & Dragons. It’s worth the effort, and the game itself is a beautiful and complex playground for you and some friends to explore.

3. Left 4 Dead 2

Panicking with friends can be sublime. That shared fear and desperation, the yells and shrieks of people facing the same horde, each convinced they’re moments from being overwhelmed. In a sense, they already are.

Horror games reach into your lizard brain and convince your amygdala that you’re in trouble. Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the best, because it’s built around saving your friends from that state. When the necrotic tongue of a Smoker comes grasping for your mate, you get to save the day with a well placed shot. When a Hunter pounces on your pal who’s straggling at the back, there you are with a punch and shotgun blast. When a Tank jumps right into the middle of your group… well, you can’t survive every time.

That’s part of what makes triumph taste so sweet. You’re pulling together against an AI director that keeps you on your toes, sending in hordes when it thinks you can take them, but rarely throwing so much at you that it feels unfair. Every level is an appropriately intense ordeal, where cries of frustration can quickly turn into tears of laughter. Ten years on, Valve are still the kings of co-op horror. Especially if you play Versus mode, and know the Hunter tearing into you is your mate Dave.

2. Portal 2

What happens when you take a single-player game about traversing intricate puzzle rooms with portals, and then double everything? It becomes twice as complicated and twice as satisfying. Portal 2 already expands on everything introduced in the bite-sized Portal, adding things like Excursion Funnels, Thermal Discouragement Beams, Propulsion Gel and other fancy sounding words, but the addition of another player changes things the most.

Four portals make each room more confusing to explore, especially when you consider both players need to reach the exit. In essence, many rooms require two solutions. Some puzzles require both thought and dexterity, and firing your friend across a chasm by moving a portal while they freefall through another eventually becomes as normal as walking.

There’s a lot of personality in the design of the two robotic protagonists, too – the Laurel and Hardy of shiny metal. When you’re working together, you’ll be high fiving each other’s metal hands and barking possible solutions through your headset.

If you’re not using chat, Valve were kind enough to provide lots of ways to communicate in-game, with players able to place markers and emote. Every puzzle solution is punctuated by a dance. Portal 2’s co-op is an experience you can’t quite replicate, its systems a perfect balance of cooperation and friendly rivalry. Grab a friend and become the most stupid pair of geniuses around.

1. Helldivers 2

In like a bullet to the top of this list is the extraordinarily popular Helldivers 2. Robots to the left of you, bugs to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you, a squad of my pals, merrily immolating all the enemies before us and, quite often, each other.

Helldivers 2 combines a lot of things. Great shooting against horde-style enemies? You betcha. Improbably huge special abilities like actual nukes? Sure thing. Pretending you haven’t set off the bomb in the enemy nest and then exploding your mates for the jape? Absotively.

The titular Helldivers are teams of hard-hitting expendable soldiers sent to clear enemies on planets surrounding Earth, which is at the centre of a global war with giant bugs on one side and advanced robots on the other, so you head down in timed missions do beat them back a bit. The always-on friendly fire is a daring choice, but one players have embraced, along with furious debates over whether the Terminids or Automatons are the worse enemy to come up against.

Buried in amongst this, though, are hints that actually both murderous robots and murderous insects are both the fault of the Super-Earth, though many players enjoy the roleplay aspects of screaming “For democracy!” as they call down an airstrike on a giant monster spitting acid at your mate. Helldivers 2 is simultaneously layered and simple, and it is an instahit you’re sure to love.

Top 20 Best Co-op Games To Play With Friends on PC in 2024 | Best Multiplayer Steam Games

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The Best FPS games on PC 2024

By admin April 2, 2024

The Best FPS games on PC 2024, FPS games are a classic PC gaming staple, and whether you’ve been playing them since the 90s or started your journey more recently with the boom in battle royales, there are plenty to choose from when it comes to the all-time greats. To help you narrow down what to play next, we’ve created this list of the best FPS games to play right now, from single-player epics to team-based shooters you can play with mates. Heck, some don’t even necessarily have guns in them at all, and you may find the odd boomerang or bow in here too.

The 25 best FPS games on PC

You can find our list of the 25 best FPS games on PC below, which you can either browse in one big gulp, or jump straight to individual entries using the links below. And if your favourite FPS isn’t here, let us know in the comments below. It was number 26, honest.

25. Severed Steel

Kicking off with a newbie to the list, Severed Steel is all about sick stunts. Wall runs, somersaults, dolphin dives, slick slides: if you want it, Severed Steel has it. As you run around each mission while pulling off stunts and completing objectives, you shoot voxel dudes with their voxel guns that you pick up on the go. As you shoot your guns and arm cannon, bodies and walls will explode in a glorious shower of destruction. Oh yeah, you have an arm cannon! It does big damage, and Severed Steel’s destructible voxel arenas (am I saying “voxel” enough?) become your playground when you start blasting through walls.

Severed Steel can feel disorienting at first, but it’s rather forgiving. You won’t take damage as long as you simply keep moving, so it’s all about chaining stunts together to close the distance between enemies and take them down before they land a single shot. It’s the complete opposite of Superhot’s near-constant slow-mo, but it makes you feel equally badass.

24. Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village continues the journey of Ethan Winters and his unlucky hands. As he explores the titular village, you’ll fight lycans, zombies, and more with all sorts of guns. If, like me, you were also petrified by Resident Evil 7 and couldn’t muster the courage to defeat the Baker family, then rest assured that Village is a far less terrifying experience. The first run will still feel tense, and there are some horrifying moments, but overall the atmosphere isn’t as unsettling. A big reason why? Village leans into the chaotic action of Resident Evil 4 and 5, handing you plenty of powerful guns that you can use to pop heads with ease.

Village thrives on that action, and while the first half is a slower, more horror-focused experience, the latter half gives that up for an action game that fires on all cylinders. There are big boss fights, even bigger explosions, and hordes of enemies to slaughter as you see fit. If you’re hankering for more, the Mercenaries mode offers action-packed time trials that rank your combat abilities, while playing the campaign with cheats is an absolute treat. Trust us when we say infinite ammo grenade launchers are the best.

23. Boomerang X

It’s safe to say that I was blown away by Boomerang X. As I said in my Boomerang X preview, it’s the DOOM game I’ve always wanted and it may have ruined FPS games for me. Gun are overrated – boomerangs are the new hotness.

Boy does the boomerang feel good to fling, and you’ll quickly get access to a handful of superpowers that’ll only make the wooden spinner even more fun to use. Like the ability to teleport to it mid-air, or the ability to slow-time to a crawl as you line up that perfect shot. Combat is remarkably fluid and there’s barely any downtime. It’s fast, frenetic, and a whole heap of cool. String together a flawless succession of moves, and trust me, the feeling is unrivalled.

22. Titanfall 2

Titanfall 2 could have been the best singleplayer FPS of 2016, if it hadn’t been for the new Doom. Nonetheless, if you want straight-up action thrills with a whole lot of flash, some particularly glorious movement and impressively stressful mech-based boss fights, this is going to make you very happy. And hey, there’s a robust soldiers vs giant robo-suits multiplayer mode in there too, building on what the multiplayer-only Titanfall 1 already established.

That is, assuming you can find opponents. Titanfall 2 suffered from something of a failure to launch, having resolutely lost the marketing wars of late 2016. It may stay alive over time thanks to word of mouth, but even if it doesn’t, definitely check it out for that singleplayer campaign. It is, however, on the brief side, so we strongly recommend playing on Hard difficulty – as well as making it last longer, it makes the mech fights particularly feel that much more satisfying once you finally claim a steel scalp.

21. Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite landed out of nowhere with a surprise multiplayer launch in late 2021, but it disappeared equally as fast. That’s a shame, because it’s one of the best free to play games on PC right now. Sure, the progression system wasn’t great at launch and improvements were slow, but that core loop of running and gunning around arenas is Halo at its finest. With the campaign dropping a few months after (paid or on Game Pass), Halo Infinite quickly became a full Halo experience – and it might just be the best one in decades.

If you’re after something a bit bigger than Halo’s multiplayer arena shooter, then check out the sprawling open world campaign. Sure, an open world Halo might not have been on your wishlist, but careening around huge spaces in a Warthog while gunning down grunts and hoovering up collectibles is like a bigger and better version of Combat Evolved’s infamous Silent Cartographer level. If you simply miss the Halo of old, then don’t panic. Halo Infinite still has plenty of linear levels sprinkled throughout that feel like traditional Halo.

20. Deathloop

In Deathloop, a puzzling plot sends you back through a repeating timeloop while you figure out how to assassinate eight visionaries. They’re a bunch of nasties on an island, and if you manage to kill all eight in one night, you can free yourself from the timeloop. The day is split into four sections – morning, noon, afternoon, and evening – and you can only enter one of four areas per chunk. The visionaries move between the four areas throughout the day, so the puzzle is finding a routine that lets you kill all eight. That usually involves finding the moments when they pair off, so that you can execute a sneaky double assassination.

Only, Deathloop isn’t actually that sneaky. Unlike its predecessors in Arkane’s Dishonored franchise, Deathloop seems to focus heavily on action, relishing in the FPS joys of headshotting a bunch of enemies. Time is a weird soup, after all, and death doesn’t really mean anything when you’re trapped in a loop. So, kill, die, and kill some more. It’s a liberating cycle that allows you to really go wild and experiment with playstyles, as you don’t need to worry about future repercussions of your actions if you never make it past today.

In that chaotic action, you’ll meet Julianna. She’s another assassin, but her target is you. Julianna can be controlled by an AI, but the real fun begins when another player takes on the role and invades your world. When Julianna invades, you become trapped in your current area until either one of you dies, or you manage to hack an antenna that allows you to escape. Invasions often result in a tense game of cat and mouse, followed by a huge firefight in which both players use every weapon at their disposal. It’s an explosive end to most missions that delivers frenetic action and memorable multiplayer moments.

19. Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege does what Battlefield games have thus far only pretended to do: provide a multiplayer world which is destructible at a granular level. Instead of buildings collapsing when scripted levers are pulled, in Siege almost every door, window, wall, ceiling, and floor can have a hole poked in it via gunshot, grenades, battering rams and breaching charges.

It feels like technical wizardry and the consequences ripple throughout the entire experience, creating tension from the ability to be attacked from any angle, encouraging teamwork through asymmetric missions which force one team to defend themselves against the other’s attempt to breach their compound, and forcing traditional Rainbow Six tactical awareness without a planning phase by requiring you to hold a perfect mental map of the building around you at all times.

It’s equally impressive for being a team-based multiplayer shooter that feels fresh, offering something different from the Counter-Strikes and Call of Dutys while staying true to the spirit of the Rainbow Six series.

18. Warhammer: Vermintide 2

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is all about killing rat people. Slicing them with swords, whacking them with maces, chopping through them with an axe – anything goes when you’re fighting the vermin hordes. Most importantly, though, it always involves bloody carnage that feels oh-so-good. If you’re in the mood for some simple, yet chaotic melee action, then Vermintide 2 is the game for you. And, for those of you screaming about how it isn’t an FPS, every class has some kind of ranged option to try. The bow is a personal favourite of mine, but there are also spells and guns that you can use to blow the rat people to pieces.

Cutting through rat folk might seem easy at first, but when elite enemies start picking your allies off, isolating them from the group for an easy kill, you’ll realise that teamplay is the key to survival. By forcing you to stick together, Vermintide 2 perfectly captures the feeling of being part of a fantasy party. Even if you’re unfamiliar with Warhammer lore, fans of Lord of the Rings or Dungeons & Dragons should find a lot to love here. Sure, Warhammer is a little more grimdark than Middle Earth or Faerun, but when you’re cleaving through rats with an axe while your mate unleashes a volley of arrows on an incoming horde, your fantasy-adoring spark is sure to ignite.

17. Turbo Overkill

Turbo Overkill is a retro-inspired FPS following in the footsteps of Quake and DOOM, albeit with a techno twist. You’ll charge around arenas slaughtering all sorts of enemies, but along the way you find augments that you can install to gain new powers. That could be a subtle boost, such as extra armor on getting a chainsaw kill, or something a little more chaotic, such as massive explosions whenever you hit the ground. Traversing the map to find those upgrades is a treat, too, as Turbo Overkill constantly propels you forward with incredible speed through its neon-filled streets.

We gave Turbo Overkill a bestest best when it launched in early access in late 2021. But, to reiterate one of the most salient points: you have a chainsaw for a leg. Fun times follow, as you can use that chainsaw leg to skid and slide around while tearing through baddies. They explode in violent bursts of blood, but there’s no time to stop and look at your victims, as Turbo Overkill is all about delivering that huge damage with speed and style.

16. Neon White

Carrying on from Turbo Overkill, here’s another game that’s about running fast. Neon White is a speedrunning FPS in which you use cards to either kill nasty demons, or launch yourself towards the goal in hopes of shaving off half a second.

It’s that second part that’s really fun, as each of Neon White’s levels quickly become complex puzzles to solve. It’s easy to get stuck in a loop of just running the same route over and over again, sure, but taking the time to step back and wander around the level to see every avenue and secret passage will give you insight into other potential paths. And then you run it and complete the mission an entire second faster. A second! Few things feel better than that.

15. Hunt: Showdown

Hunt: Showdown‘s this mixture of PVP and PVP, underscored by serious tension. You take on the role of hunters with the express aim of assassinating an AI “boss” tucked away somewhere on the map. Trouble is, there are other squads also attempting to do the same thing. Die and you lose your equipment forever. Survive, and you’ll not only keep your stuff, but get some of the spoils too. That’s the tension for you – every single foray into the dark could spell disaster.

The audio design’s also sterling in Hunt: Showdown too, with gunshots that ring out from miles away, and the clang of chains could help you locate an enemy that’s stalking you nearby. Even swapping your weapon or reloading in quiet moments might give away your position. It’s an FPS that’s unlike anything out right now.

14. Call Of Duty: Warzone 2

Warzone 2 may not be battle royale king like its predecessor once was, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any good. Far from it! There’s a brand new gunsmith which lets you tinker with weapons in even greater detail, which makes for even spicier metas. The new map Al Mazrah is – in my opinion – better than Verdansk, in the way it facilitates fights and removes a lot of boring grey in favour of some actual colour.

Warzone 2 isn’t perfect by any means, but what it offers is a free-to-play, triple A shooter with COD’s brilliantly smooth FPSing. It’s also worth noting that the game often receives free updates to keep things fresh, so it’s unlikely you’ll get bored quickly.

13. Team Fortress 2

That Team Fortress 2 is a sequel and a remake of a sober-as-a-nun multiplayer mod seems almost irrelevant now. But it’s part of what makes the game so important. Valve took years and years to settle upon a model for what has become one of the firmly-entrenched favourites of the PC gaming fraternity, and that they did so allowed it to prove that a multiplayer first-person shooter can be funny, even witty, and that constant experimentation and progression can keep a game alive and evolving long after it should have ground to a halt.

Team Fortress 2 felt like an experiment, and it still feels like an experiment, and that experiment was a success. A move to free-to-play and a hat-centric economy has kept TF2 thriving. The cost of this is that something of the original spirit was perhaps lost in this translation to gimmee, gimmee, gimmee, but we can forgive that.

12. Devil Daggers

2016 was in many ways a vintage year for first-person shooters, and the reason for that was because they understood their past. DOOM, obviously; Overwatch returned to Team Fortress rather than COD; Titanfall 2 was the big sci-fi silliness of the noughties again and Devil Daggers… well, Devil Daggers is from an alternate timeline where Quake changed everything and was never forgotten in favour of military men and careful plots.

A beautiful hellscape of big square pixels against a midnight backdrop, monstrous things looming at you from the darkness, and the dance, the endless dance. A pure test of everything that first-person shooters ever taught us. Reflex, awareness, movement, practice, true grit and no surrender. It is about your own time and only about your own time, because that is all that matters – everything else that shooters ever added is mere fluff.

11. DOOM Eternal

DOOM 2016 was a bloody and brilliant reintroduction to the demon-slaying franchise, but DOOM Eternal takes it to new heights. It doesn’t waste any time making you wait around, opting instead to hand you a shotgun and force you out into the demon crowds. Within moments, you’re platforming around chaotic arenas with an upgraded shotgun, machine gun, and a chainsaw doing what that DOOM guy does best. Namely, rippin’ and tearin’.

Sure, you might have done that just a few years ago in its predecessor, but Eternal pushes you to get faster and more ferocious. It has some new platforming elements that not everyone will appreciate, such as wall climbing and swinging from poles, but when it comes to tearing through arenas filled with hulking demons, DOOM Eternal does it best.

10. Left 4 Dead 2

Zombies: in 2008 they were still very exciting. They still are today when blessed with Valve’s magic touch, which in a few, brief, cyclic co-op skits adds more life, wit and hinted-at history to its characters and its world than most of the 8 hour+ singleplayer campaigns in this list stuck together. Including Left 4 Dead 2 in the list was complicated, however, given most of what makes it to strong was work done by the previous year’s Left 4 Dead.

It’s a sequel not that different to the original, and not a game that I felt, on its first outing, really changed anything. However, it’s clear with time that Left 4 Dead 2 was a major under-the-hood upgrade, both closer to what was intended for the zombie-blasting horror game, and also a bigger move in the direction of pure co-op, which wasn’t something that even seemed possible before the let’s-all-die-together first Left 4 Dead came along.

Another strong reason to choose this over L4D1 (which still has a more memorable cast of Survivors, to my mind) is how much it’s been expanded by mods. You can stick Deadpool in there, expand it from a 4-player game to a 16-player one, turn everyone into a dinosaur or recreate pretty much the entirety of L4D1 within it. Get thee to the Steam workshop and indulge.

9. SUPERHOT / SUPERHOT VR (2016)

There ain’t nothin’ new under the sun – a miserable claim that SUPERHOT Team disproved twice in one year. First there was SUPERHOT itself, a shooter in which time only moves when you move (or shoot) (or throw something) (or punch). Then there was SUPERHOT VR, which singlehandedly redeemed the whole concept of virtual reality and easily made it into our pick of the best VR games.

SUPERHOT is both maximum-adrenaline thrills and highly tactical – transforming the first-person shooter from a game about precision aiming and reflexive movement into one in which every twitch counted. The world is super-slow-mo until you do anything, which grants you the time to plan the move but leaves you subject to a devious puzzlebox construction in which one action leaves you vulnerable to some other threat. It is sublime, and it is impossibly cool.

Particularly in VR, where you are making those movements yourself – the ducking, the punching, the throwing, the shooting. The Matrix fantasy without any of the bilge – just superhot action. A glorious, glorious reinvention of first-person violence.

8. Deep Rock Galactic

Deep Rock Galactic combines drunk dwarves with some complex tunnel systems and lots of nasty subterranean bugs. The result is often sheer chaos, as four players charge into the depths to mine whatever they need for the big corporation in the sky. You pick a role, each of which has a unique weapon and traversal mechanic, and zip through the caves at incredible pace, collecting ores as you head towards a main objective.

The chaos comes when you’re trying to wrap your head around these main objectives, connecting winding pipelines or powering huge machines, while fending off those blasted bugs that just won’t stop. As you go, hordes of creepy critters will charge in your direction. A rational team might fight them together, deploying traps and getting into a strong defensive formation, but I find the fun in panickedly running away and screaming. But, whether you play Deep Rock Galactic as a true co-op shooter or as a wild romp in the caverns, it’s sure to be a good time.

7. GTFO

Hurtling down into the dark depths of GTFO‘s Rundowns (levels) is a terrifying start. What’s even more terrifying, though, is when teammates don’t work together. We tend to quickly designate a leader when I play with friends, but someone always wanders off a little too far or fails to follow orders. Lots of screaming, shooting, and swearing ensues. It’s pure chaos with a horror-filled flair, and it’s a great time online. It demands teamwork and precision if you want to survive, but that fills every encounter with a level of tension that few other FPS games reach.

That tension is only heightened by the enemy variety crawling around every level. You never know what might lie behind each door, but spotting a Scout’s tendril as you enter a new area could spell the end of a run. The thrill of needing to adapt to whatever you find, and often sneak past enemies to preserve resources, makes GTFO the best co-op survival horror on PC.

6. Half-Life: Alyx

Alright, yes, you’ll need a VR headset for Half Life: Alyx, alongside a powerful enough rig to run it nicely. But, if you’ve got both of these things, then you’re in for a treat.

Graham said in his Half-Life: Alyx review that this is “the Half-Life game you’ve been waiting for, even if it’s not the one you were expecting”. And this is because the game’s been designed with VR in mind. You’re now able to reach out and touch City 17, and the motion control shooting “feels better than Half-Life’s combat ever has”.

And Half-Life: Alyx embraces horror too, with moments where you’re cowering in corners or chucking objects to distract enormous monsters. You’re even able to cover your mouth with your actual hand, and have it replicated in-game. It’s very much been lifted by VR, and not harmed by it.

5. Half-Life 2

Of course. So much is in Half-Life 2, from an unprecedented level of architectural design to facial animation which rendered anything else obsolete overnight, to a physics system which transformed shooter environments from scenery into interactive resource, to some of gaming’s most striking baddies in the Striders and a huge step forwards in making AI companions believable and likeable.

It’s also a long, changeable journey through a beautifully, bleakly fleshed-out world, and although of course you are on the hero’s journey, it’s careful to keep you feeling like a bit player in a wider conflict. That this, plus the cliffhanger ending of Episode 2, left so much more to be told leaves PC gaming in a perpetual state of frustration that the series has, publicly at least, ground to a halt. I don’t think all of it is as striking as it once was – particularly, much of the man-shooting feels routine and slightly weightless now – but Half-Life 2 gave us more than any other first-person shooter before, and maybe even since.

4. Dusk

DUSK is a retro-styled FPS that’s retro, but doesn’t get stuck trying to mimic retro. It has the gut-spilling impact of the genre, yet mixes it with modern twists: like picking up items to create impromptu climable routes to hidden areas, or just slinging saw blades and soap at foes.

There’s a lot of coloured-key collecting to open doors in DUSK, but it’s spread across loads of complex, batshit maps that only get better as you barrel through through its campaign. There is, of course, a metal soundtrack paired with a level of spookiness designed to make you both enjoy the riff and jump out of your chair within five seconds of one another. Please don’t skip out on this.

3. Valorant

There’s no elegant way to put this: Valorant is Counter: Strike but with wizards and ninjas. One team wants to plant a bomb, the other needs to stop this from happening. How? By inching around corners, having decent aim, and making strong callouts in the team chat. Patience is rewarded here, as is coordinating with your team to control each map.

If Valorant sounds like Counter: Strike, that’s because the gunplay is pretty similar. However, where it differs is in ability usage. You can choose from a roster of Agents who each have special powers that’ll let them do stuff like teleport across short gaps, flashbang around corners, or heal allies. If this sounds aggressively unbalanced, don’t worry, almost all of these abilities feel like useful tools, as opposed to pain-bringers.

I’d say I prefer Valorant to Counter: Strike nowadays, purely because it feels more current. There’s regular updates and some invaluable tools – like an aim training map – are baked into the game, as opposed to being buried away in a “community creations” section of a store.

2. Apex Legends

Oh my, Apex, what excellent bumslides you have. What solid shootsing you offer. What a delightful bunch of canyons and swamps you’ve plonked us in. We should have known better than to doubt the makers of Titanfall 2’s robot antics. Since its launch Apelegs has added plenty of new characters, new maps, and even a new Arenas mode.

It’s a solid murder hike every time you dive into Apex Legends, and there really is nothing that matches its pace in the Battle Royale realm.

1. Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is an incredibly fluid MMO FPS with some of the best shooting around, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Whether you want to team up with others to topple big bosses, turn on your fellow players and slug them with a shotgun in Crucible’s PvP modes, or play through epic stories that span the solar system, Destiny 2 has something for everyone.

Whichever activity you prefer, you can easily sink hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into it, and the brilliant gunplay makes it a constant joy. Not only is the best FPS around, I’ll wager that Destiny 2 is also the best superhero game right now. There’s something I love about swinging electro swords and firing off a golden gun imbued with solar energy to kill massive raid bosses in a bid to save the solar system.

Destiny 2 has so much to love, but that doesn’t mean it’s without fault. The onboarding experience is incredibly awkward for newbies, with the removal of the original Red War campaign and subesquent Forsaken expansion making the story completly incomprehensible without watching oodles of lore videos. That proves a chore for even the most dedicated of Guardians, and it’s a roadblock that’s almost guaranteed to alienate new players who try to hop in for a new expansion.

However, it’s a testament to Destiny 2’s strengths that we still recommend it so highly. It’s a masterful FPS with so much fun to be had, regardless of whether you prefer PvE or PvP. And, with so much content available for free, there’s no really no reason not to give it a go. So, off you pop, go decrypt some engrams, get some snazzy armor, and start shooting aliens. Eyes up. Guardian.

Source : Rock Paper Shotgun

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Best Android Launchers in 2024

By admin April 1, 2024

Best Android Launchers in 2024, Android launchers are one of the most useful apps for customization. It can entirely change the look of your home screen and how it behaves. It can even change things like icons and themes and offer a variety of other personalization features for your device. Most legacy Android launchers have the same stock Android theme, which may seem a bit too cluttered. But now, many newer launchers are going for a minimal aesthetic. Here are the best Android launchers available right now.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Flauncher (Google Play). It officially launched in 2022 and is easily one of the best Android TV launchers on Google Play.

AIO Launcher

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($0.99 – $9.99 per item)

AIO Launcher does it differently than many Android launcher apps. It does away with the standard home screen in favor of an information-packed list of stuff. It shows things like your latest SMS and missed calls, your media player, your system info (RAM, battery, storage, etc.), and even stuff like news, Bitcoin price, Twitter, and more. The list is actually quite extensive.

The premium version also includes integration for Telegram and your regular widgets from other apps. Not everything has to look like stock Android, and AIO Launcher certainly shows that it can be done effectively. Luckily, most of the features are free, and the free version doesn’t seem to have ads.

http://andauth.co/gKjXPn

Launcher iOS 17

Price: Free

If you like the look and feel of the iOS UI, this app’s for you. This launcher gives your Android phone a look similar to iOS 17. This includes a lock screen, a control center, many animations, different wallpapers, and widgets. It has a ton of customization options. There are some features, like lock screens, notifications, a control center, and assistive touch, that you need to download separately. It does require some time to configure everything perfectly, but once everything is set up, Launcher iOS 17 makes your Android look a lot like iOS. There are a few bugs, but it works great for a free app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.luutinhit.launcherios&gl=us

Best Android Launchers in 2024

Before Launcher

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($1.99 – $5.99 per item)

Before Launcher is one of the few minimal-style launchers on the list. This one claims to help reduce interactions with your phone by up to 40%. There is also a notification filter that reduces notifications by about 80%. Some other features include a clean, easy UI and the ability to pin important apps or hide unimportant apps. It’s a bit light on customizations, but that’s pretty typical for minimal launchers. You do get support for icon packs, though.

You get the vast majority of features in the free version, which also doesn’t contain advertisements. The developers also state that the app can’t capture any data and requires no permissions to run. That’s fairly standard for Android launchers on this list, but we thought you’d still like to know.

https://andauth.co/KYHSK5

Square Home

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($1.99 – $5.99 per item)

If you like the Windows UI, then you’re going to love this app. Square Home brings the old Metro UI of Windows Phone to your Android device. It has a user-friendly interface that is both simple and visually appealing. With features like vertical scrolling within a page and smooth horizontal transitions between pages, it faithfully replicates the metro-style UI. It’s a bit different from the default Android experience. It utilizes tiles to display your notifications, calls, SMS, e-mails, and more. Square Home also boasts a smart app drawer that intuitively organizes your apps, which it sorts by usage.

Additionally, it offers quick access to your contacts and tons of other customization options, making it a great launcher choice. The developers address user-submitted complaints and work on them to update the app frequently. You need to pay for some premium features like animated tiles, a media controller, infinite scrolling, 3D effects for horizontal scrolling, and others. There are monthly subscription plans of $1.99 and a lifetime subscription priced at $5.99 too.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2&gl=us

Olauncher

Price: Free

Olauncher is a great choice for minimalist lovers. This launcher offers a clean, clutter-free experience with its extensive customization options. It’s also open source. The most basic features allow you to do everything, from resizing text to renaming apps and even controlling the visibility of the status bar. It has gestures, wallpapers, dark and light theme support, dual app support, work profile compatibility, automatic app launch, and more. The best part is that it’s completely free and has no ads.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.olauncher&gl=us

Lawnchair 2

Price: Free

Lawnchair Launcher is an excellent Android launcher for fans of minimalism. It’s an open-source project that mimics much of the look and feel of the Pixel Launcher. The app features adaptive icons, a fun icon pack, an “At a Glance” feature that uses notification dots for quick access, and a drawer category function to neatly organize your apps. You can also choose between a light and dark mode for your system. It integrates with Google Feed and Homefeeder to provide a comprehensive Android launcher experience. It’s also completely free. This app used to be one of the most popular launchers, but now it has many bad reviews because the developers have stopped updating the app.

http://andauth.co/iCaojv

Total Launcher

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($1.99 – $5.99 per item)

Total Launcher is an older launcher app. It offers a lot of customization options and is suited for both those who prefer a clutter-free experience and those who want tons of widgets. It has a simple UI, so it’s really easy to use and setup. It features various themes, wallpapers, icon packs, and much more.

Total Launcher is free to use, but you’ll need to pay for premium features like folder search and hidden apps. There are monthly subscriptions of $1.99 and a lifetime subscription of $5.99. It’s a worthwhile investment considering the rich customization and functionality it brings to your Android experience.

https://andauth.co/dOgy1y

Microsoft Launcher

Price: Free

Microsoft Launcher is one of the most popular launcher apps available on Android. The app features custom icon packs, daily Bing wallpapers, and a dark theme for low-light use. It simplifies phone transitions with Backup and Restore, enabling local or cloud backups. Intuitive gestures, like swiping and tapping, streamline navigation. Plus, it ensures accessibility with screen lock and recent apps view gestures. It also has integration with many Microsoft services, including their calendar, email, to-do list app, and direct integration with Microsoft PCs.

http://andauth.co/rTRNtX

Niagara Launcher

Price: Free/ In-app Purchases ($0.99 – $29.99 per item)

Niagara Launcher offers a user-friendly, ergonomic experience for Android users. It has an adaptive list layout that shows you essential information like messages and calendar events, and it even has support for media players. It has unique wave alphabet navigation with embedded notifications. The app is ad-free, lightweight, and embraces Material You Theming for customization. The developers are still frequently updating the app.

https://andauth.co/2V0ciL

Nova Launcher

Price: Free

It doesn’t get better than Nova Launcher. Nova Launcher has been around for quite some time, but it is still one of the best Android launcher app options available. It has a laundry list of customization features that include gesture support, the ability to customize the look and feel of the app, icon pack support, themes, and much, much more. The app also gets updated at a breakneck pace, which means bugs generally get squished quickly and new features are added consistently. It also comes with the ability to backup and restore your home screen layouts for when you eventually switch to a new phone. It’s the one we’d recommend you try first.

http://andauth.co/RtzXmc

Wide Launcher

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($2.99 – $49.99 per item)

Wide Launcher is a newer app that offers a unique Android experience with a home screen that’s three times wider than standard launchers. It allows you to place items anywhere and provides a wide range of palettes and mini-apps for enhanced smartphone use. You can personalize your home screen with a variety of selected wallpapers, stickers, app icon styles, and picture frames. The launcher features intelligent organization and smart widgets called applets. There’s a fun feature that allows you to have virtual pets running on your screen called Hellopets. It’s also ad-free.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shouter.widelauncher&gl=us

Rootless Launcher

Price: Free

Rootless Launcher is a decent, stock Android-style launcher from 2018. It’s actually a fairly basic experience. You get a stock Android look and feel with some additional customization elements to complete the look. Some of the features include icon pack support, adaptive icon pack support, an icon shape selector, themes based on your wallpaper, and the ability to change the location of the search bar. You can also get Google Feed working on this launcher, but like most, it requires an extra plug-in download and installation. The website with the instructions for that is in the Google Play description.

http://andauth.co/HHDUTB

Smart Launcher 6

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($0.99 – $26.99 per item)

Smart Launcher is another famous and quite old launcher app for Android. It has features like automatic app sorting and an ambient theme that dynamically adapts to your wallpaper. There’s an option to hide the navigation bar, and you can even protect sensitive apps with a PIN. Its UI is designed for one-handed use, and essential elements are conveniently placed at the bottom of the screen.

The launcher provides responsive built-in widgets and extensive customization options, allowing you to personalize themes and fonts. It also has a smart search bar, which simplifies tasks like finding contacts or searching the web. The problem with this launcher is that it feels like some of the features are forced; there’s no option to disable them.

http://andauth.co/wDhePH

Lynx Launcher

Price: Free /In-app purchases ($3.99 per item)

Lynx Launcher is a new launcher app that offers a clean and distraction-free Android experience. The app supports theming, allowing you to change icons and even the entire theme, with the option to toggle dark mode based on your preferences. It has tons of customization features that allow you to tweak everything from the dock’s position to text size and notification dots. It also lets you hide non-removable apps. There are gestures that give you quick access to apps, contacts, and settings. A favorites screen shows your most-used apps and contacts for easy access.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.n277.lynxlauncher&gl=us

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Best Android Root Apps in 2024

By admin April 1, 2024

Best Android Root Apps in 2024, Rooting your Android device allows you to get complete control of your phone. It unlocks your device entirely so that you can perform more advanced and complicated tasks (for instance, bloatware removal), not meant for general users. Moreover, the best Android root apps help you make the most of your phone.

The best apps to root an Android phone help you do all the heavy lifting, save battery, get new applications, and improve your phone’s performance. However, the opposite may happen if you use a wrong and unreliable rooting app.

Therefore, you must be extremely careful when picking a root app. However, since you have arrived at this article, it will be a cakewalk for you to choose the proper application.

Through this article, we share a rooted apps list. The applications in this list are selected after thorough research and analysis of the available options in the market. Let us walk you through it without ado.

9 Best Android Root Apps for Your Phone in 2024

Following are some of the best root apps for Android.

1. AdAway

Let us first introduce you to AdAway. It is a perfect choice for users who want to block ads on their devices. With this free and open-source application, you can block all ad-serving hostnames using the hosts’ file. It keeps you updated with the ad-serving networks and redirects these networks to your phone, i.e, the local host. Hence, these requests do not lead to any ads.

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2. Magisk Manager

Next, we have Magisk Manager on our list of the best Android root apps. The most advantageous feature of this app is that, unlike the traditional methods, it does not require you to make system partition changes. Moreover, it helps you hide root permissions from applications like Android Pay, Pokemon Go, etc.

Furthermore, it allows you to get OTA updates to your operating system. However, sadly, this app is unavailable on Google Play and you need to download it as apk from the official website.

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3. Quick Reboot

Let us take a look at Quick Reboot. This application allows you to reboot your device with a single tap on the button to do so. Moreover, there are several reboot options like recovery mode, fastboot, and safe mode. It comes in handy when you want all your reboot settings in one location and do not wish to use ADB or hardware key combinations to reboot your device.

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4. OneClickRoot

The next name on our list of the best Android root applications is OneClick Root. It helps improve your device’s battery life and speed. Moreover, you can use this application to download apps that are unavailable in your country and perform byte by byte mobile data backup.

Furthermore, OneClickRoot supports free wireless tethering, installation of apps incompatible with your device, and access to crucial hidden files.

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5. Rescue Root

The discussion about the best Android root apps cannot be complete without Rescue Root. It is among the top applications to backup your device and protect it hassle-freely. With this app, you can perform customized roots for specific devices and restore your phone to an earlier rooted state.

Additionally, round-the-clock support, availability for all Android devices, and unlimited restoration of data make Rescue Root one of the best rooting apps.

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6. KingoRoot

Here comes the best application for all those wanting to customize their device without any hassle. It offers a one-click device root. Additionally, it boasts compatibility with a wide range of devices and a beginner-friendly interface.

Furthermore, speeding up the device performance, easy Android streamlining, and Android root using PC are its other noteworthy features.

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7. Root Essentials

Let us now talk about the Root Essentials. Available for phone, tablet, and Android wear. This app lets you manage all applications on your device without any cumbersome effort, check the battery status, and check the phone for rooting access.

Moreover, it allows you to edit LCD density, view device information, change the phone’s emoji, select from over 700 fonts, and change your phone’s system language.

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8. ROM Toolbox Pro

Are you looking for a multi-purpose booting app? Then, ROM Toolbox Pro is a perfect choice for you. With ROM Toolbox Pro, you can easily manage your files or folders along with changing your device settings completely.
The app lets you utilize the custom fonts from an external SD Card. Additionally, using this Android Root App you can effortlessly move, delete, and rename files. Along with the ownership of files, you can also modify the permissions of any desired file. Overall, ROM Toolbox Pro is the must-have app for every root user out there.

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9. LiveBoot

Let us introduce you to LiveBoot. It is among the best root apps for Android because of its device health checking to determine whether or not you should root it. Moreover, it boasts many interesting features like access to the System Message Registry, commands to debug Android applications, and an option to view apps running in the background during boot.

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Summing Up

This article acquainted you with the best Android root apps to help you use your device to the maximum potential. You can choose any app from the above list depending on your requirements.

If there is any application you would like to add to the above list, if you have any other suggestions/questions about this post, please drop them in the comment box. We will be delighted to address your queries.

Root Android: Everything you need to know!

One of the best things about Android is its customization and flexibility. Android lets you use it the way you want to, whether that means changing the launcher, or setting up a host of unique automatic functions with Tasker. But for some, that isn’t enough. You can gain near-total control of the OS if you root Android.

This isn’t as common as it once was, but there are still benefits to rooting Android, such as removing bloatware, full system backups, overclocking, specialized settings, and more. If you like the sounds of that, but find yourself feeling a little anxious about “hacking” your much-loved (and probably expensive) device, then read on to learn everything you need to know about rooting Android. It’s actually easier than you might think.

Editor’s note: Rooting Android devices requires a high level of tinkering and modifying your phone’s software. This can be risky, and there is a chance you’ll damage your handset. This is terrible news, considering rooting Android may void your warranty. Always do your research and be confident about the steps you’re taking, as no one but you will be responsible should anything happen to your device.

What is rooting?

While it might sound scary, rooting refers to obtaining access to commands, system files, and folder locations that are usually locked off. Rooting Android can be thought of as promoting yourself from a system user to an administrator, with the additional freedom and risks that come from more control over the deeper workings of your device. With great power comes great responsibility and all that!

More specifically, adding root to Android means becoming a superuser, which is a Linux function you may be familiar with. In many ways, you could view this more as restoring a function that should have been there, to begin with!

Users can install and run applications on rooted Android phones and tablets that require special privileges, bypass carrier-installed software, and even remove bloatware applications (as opposed to simply disabling them). Root access is even needed if you want to install trivial things like certain custom fonts, and rooting Android can also unlock new features in certain apps and launchers.

If you’re comfortable with coding, you can even go as far as creating your own custom ROMs.

Handy rooting terminology:

• Bootloader: Lowest level software on your phone that starts up recoveries and then the main operating system.

• Recovery: Low-level software that can create and restore full system backups. It is accessed before the main OS.

• ADB (Android Debug Bridge): A command-line tool that is part of the Android SDK, which supports communication between a computer and an Android device.

To root or not to root?

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

The next question is whether you should root Android or leave it as it is. That, of course, is a matter of personal preference, but there are some compelling arguments both for and against it.

On the plus side, it gives you more access to several cool apps and customization options. It also lets you upgrade older phones to newer Android versions long after your manufacturer and carrier have stopped supporting it. As mentioned, rooting Android will let you change things that you otherwise Wouldn’t be able to, and it will also allow you to use a host of cool apps.

Android root apps and options

Here are just a few things you can do with a rooted Android device:

• Overclock or underclock the CPU.

• Increase battery life.

• It greatly enhances the power of Tasker.

• Remove preinstalled bloatware apps.

• Make real backups.

• Install custom ROMs.

• Further customize your phone’s looks.

• Install apps that do more than basic ones.

• You can even do things like installing Ubuntu for desktop.

For some people, rooting Android is also something of a statement. You paid for this device, so why shouldn’t you use it exactly as you wish? Especially if it means removing cynical and unhelpful bloatware. There’s also a certain status that comes from it, and a great sense of accomplishment when you achieve root access for the first time.

If you’re a developer hoping to create your own root apps, you need to start somewhere!

Will you damage your device?

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Pixel 8

That said, there are also some potential downsides to rooting.

Even once you know how to root Android, some risks are involved. If you get this wrong, there is a chance of bricking your device (it’s happened to me). It’s easier and safer on some devices than others, but if you’re not overly confident with your tech wizardry, you may prefer to leave your phone be.

Furthermore, rooting can cause some issues with official OTA handset updates — but it is usually fine to install new software manually once you’re rooted. Updating will often cause root permissions to be lost, in which case the procedure will need to be performed again. Occasionally, an update will block old root methods, and sometimes rooted devices will fail to install updates. If your device stops booting after an attempted root exploit, you can usually restore it to factory specifications relatively easily.

Warranties and legalities — is rooting legal?

This leads us nicely onto warranties, which is another grey area in the world of rooting. While carriers don’t like you tampering with their hardware and software, some manufacturers have become kinder to rooters and even those who install third-party software. However, few have a clear stance on what software tweaks will void your warranty, and you certainly can’t count on having your rooted handset fixed if something goes wrong. Devices with locked bootloaders, the very low-level software that starts up your phone, are explicitly designed to prevent rooting, so don’t expect sympathy from these companies.

In the US, rooting is perfectly legal.

Thanks to clues like Knox on Samsung, manufacturers and sellers can often identify rooted devices, even after you unroot them. Note that there are ways to hide evidence of having rooted your device, but these won’t always work. There’s a kind of arms race between hackers and manufacturers, and your chances of unrooting and covering your tracks will often come down to who is winning at the time! This is why many people only root older phones already out of warranty.

This might also make you wonder whether rooting your device is even legal. This is tough to answer as it depends on your country’s laws. Many countries allow for bypassing digital rights management and locks, providing that this is not used for other illegal purposes, such as circumventing copyrights. Rooting has been legal in the USA since 2013.

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

It’s also worth noting that some apps and features will stop working once you root. For example, banking apps will often stop working due to the perceived security risk. Even Snapchat and Pokemon Go take issue with root! There are also often countermeasures to these limitations — though your mileage may vary. You can probably tell by now that rooting typically means creating more work for yourself, but it can be enjoyable work!

Rooting your phone can open up your device to more dangerous pieces of malware.Adam Sinicki

The final major point to be aware of is security. With greater control comes a greater level of risk, and rooting your phone can open up your device to more dangerous pieces of malware. This is where governor applications come in, which monitor and control which processes get root permissions. You may be familiar with SuperSU or other similar apps. These are very straightforward to use and simply display a pop-up whenever an app or process wants root access, which you can either deny or allow and save your preference if you trust the app.

Of course, if you aren’t automatically receiving the usual updates, it also falls on you to ensure you get all the latest security patches. In theory, you could improve your privacy with the proper root apps. But it’s on you. It should also be noted that SuperSU developer Chainfire hung up his root apps, so most rooters have now switched over to Magisk.

So, should you root Android?

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

With all that in mind, should you root your Android device?

Ultimately, that comes down to what you intend to use your device for. Do you even need to root Android? If you have a specific use-case scenario in mind and understand the risks and limitations, then there’s nothing to stop you from learning how to root Android and giving yourself that extra freedom.

On the other hand, the argument for rooting isn’t as compelling as it once was. These days, one can do many things that were once limited to root users (customizing the UI, recording your screen, and so on). Not to mention that even budget phones are fast these days, so overclocking is no longer an important reason to root Android.

These days, one can do a lot of things that were once limited to root users.Adam Sinicki

Seeing as root might also mean you lose functionality, it’s no longer a straight win across the board. It has its benefits, but it’s not as helpful as it once was.

For me, the obvious answer is to only root older devices. Keep your daily driver clean while it’s still getting new updates and patches, but root secondary gadgets that you want to tinker with. That way, you get to have your cake and eat it, too.

How to root Android devices

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

If you decide to proceed, you’ll probably wonder how to root Android. Let’s lead you in the right direction!

The bad news is there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when you root Android phones and tablets. Different brands and even software versions can make the rooting process vary. Even within handset variants, you may find that some techniques work and others don’t.

The good news is that rooting is much easier than it once was in many cases. In fact, the easiest method is usually to use a simple root app. These apps let you root Android with a single tap, with some popular examples being KingRoot, KingoRoot, and OneClickRoot. Download your app of choice or access the website for more instructions. The service will check compatibility first, then root your device for you.

This is a minimum-fuss method that will work in many cases. However, it’s worth noting that some come with annoying push notifications and ads. I’d advise checking reviews before settling on which one to use. Some would even say that if you can’t figure out how to root your device without one of these apps, perhaps you shouldn’t be doing it at all (because if you encounter problems during the process, you won’t know what to do).

The good news is that in many cases, rooting is much easier than it once was.

If a one-click solution doesn’t appeal to you, things get a little more complex, and you’ll need to look for specific instructions for your device. This might mean using PC software and connecting your phone via USB. It might also mean using a custom recovery, or downloading additional software like Odin for Samsung devices. The best part about these options is that you learn a lot along the way.

I recommend either Googling “how to root [YOUR DEVICE NAME HERE]” or heading over to XDA Developers, which is a great place to start. Many of the best root apps available today were developed by members of this community. Just be sure to use the search function first before asking noob questions! And don’t forget to thank and support the devs that make rooting possible.

Before rooting your device, it’s always good to back up your phone first. Then settle in, read a lot, triple-check the instructions, and dive in. Crossing your fingers and holding your breath would be a good idea because you just took the red pill! The world of Android rooting is exciting, empowering, frustrating, and engaging — you’ll learn tons about how Android works, what your phone can do, and how awesome Android can be when you get in the driver’s seat.

Once you’ve rooted your phone, it’s time to start enjoying the best root apps for Android.

FAQs

Rooting a device refers to obtaining superuser access to your Android system. It allows you to delve deeper into commands, system files, restricted folders, and more. This will enable you to customize things from a system level.

Rooting makes it possible to achieve much more complex customizations than you’re used to. You can control your CPU and RAM, customize your UI, remove apps you otherwise wouldn’t be able to uninstall, use apps that provide root features, and more.

Manufacturers don’t like when you tinker with their devices’ software. This can create issues, and these wouldn’t be their fault. Most manufacturers will likely avoid respecting a warranty claim if you’ve rooted a device, especially if this was the cause of whatever issue you started the claim for. That said, some argue it’s illegal to void the warranty due to rooting, in some jurisdictions. You might be able to argue this in court, but no one really wants to take a company to court for a warranty issue. At the very least, rooting your phone may cause a headache, even if you did nothing wrong.

Technically speaking, a rooted Android phone has access to system files. Regular phones lack this. This makes it possible for hackers and malware to attack you at deeper levels. Additionally, root users like grabbing apps to maximize their experience, which opens the doors to more dangers. While rooting your device can be perfectly secure, it’s also very easy to turn it into a vulnerable device. You’re no longer sticking with Google and your manufacturer’s protective arms. Not to mention, rooting can affect timely updates, which often come with security improvements.

Of course you can. The real question is whether you should. If you are to sell a rooted phone, make sure you tell the new owner about this. He can then decide if he wants to take the risk. Additionally, it’s possible to unroot a phone and take it back to its factory settings. This might be a better alternative, unless the buyer strictly wants a rooted phone.

Rooting is only worth it right now if you have a specific need for it, or if you really want to play around with your Android phone. That said, we advise most users to stick with stock software now. This is because most of the benefits we used to get from root access no longer apply. Phones used to be slow, and now even budget devices are pretty fast, so there is no dire need to overclock. Battery life is also improving, so there is no huge need to underclock. Launchers are better than ever, so custom ROMs are no longer as enticing as before. Bloatware apps can also be turned off, which at least keeps them out of view.

No. You will have to flash the stock software to remove root. In fact, this used to be seen as a feature. Some applications are able to stick around, even if you perform a factory reset. This is great for security apps.

Rooting, in and of itself, should not erase any of your data. That said, you might have to give your phone a clean install if anything goes wrong, or if the root process for your phone happens to require a factory reset.

There are multiple ways to check if a device is rooted, but if you can’t figure this out, chances are you don’t want to deal with complex methods. The easiest way to check if your phone is rooted is through an app. Root Checker is one of the most popular ones.

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Best FREE Burner Phone Number Apps in 2024

By admin April 1, 2024

Best FREE Burner Phone Number Apps in 2024, You can probably imagine how frustrating it would be to juggle two mobile phones while managing your professional and personal lives. But in this circumstance, having two mobile phone lines on one device can be useful. Don’t worry! Some best free burner phone number apps can make it very simple to separate your personal and professional lives effectively.

With these free burner phone number apps, you can join several services without risking your privacy. In addition, burner phone numbers are a “must-have” for international trips because they frequently enable you to reduce roaming expenses abroad.

Online burner phone numbers may have a negative reputation due to how they are portrayed in television and movies, yet they have numerous useful functions. So, here are some best free burner phone number apps to use in 2024 to protect your safety and shield you from future spam.

Best Burner Phone Number Apps in 2024 (Android & iOS)

To assist you with adding a second line to your phone, we’ve compiled a list of the 16 best free burner phone number apps in this article. Each of the best burner phone apps listed below is brimming with useful features that will surely make your experience enjoyable.

1. Burner

Burner provides a secondary line for texting and calling without paying your provider for another connection, making it the most well-known and best free burner phone number app. In addition, it gives you a throwaway VOIP number (with local area code) which you may use for online dating, shopping, Craigslist sales, and dodging salespeople.

You don’t need to carry a second mobile device because you can text, call, and manage your contact list from the app. Additionally, you can make several private burner phone numbers whenever you wish. Burner has a 7-day trial duration and is available for free download.

In order to safeguard your privacy and hide your primary phone number, the app intercepts incoming calls and routes them to your phone. In addition, you can archive text messages and voicemails through integrations with other apps and services like Evernote, Dropbox, SoundCloud, and Slack.

Calls made with this app show up as phone calls between Burner and your own numbers on your phone bill. You cannot see the end phone number you are dialing through Burner. Incoming calls appear to be from your free Burner phone number, and you can add more numbers with an in-app subscription.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

2. Hushed

Hushed is another well-known free burner phone app for backup phone numbers. It functions similarly to Burner but provides burner phone numbers for forty different nations. Additionally, local phone numbers from more than 300 UK, Canadian, and US area codes are available.

Your activity is kept separate from your personal number from your carrier, and this burner phone application allows you to place and attend calls and send and receive an SMS on your Hushed phone number. In addition, the program will enable you to manage numerous lines, add additional numbers, and receive a secondary phone number.

Hushed provides flexible prepaid, pay-as-you-go, and long or short-term subscriptions that start at $1.99 monthly. Using a WiFi or data connection, you can call your free burner number worldwide. On all free burner phone numbers, local phone calling is possible. In several nations, MMS and SMS are accessible.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

3. Cloud SIM

It is one best free burner phone number apps through which you can create and add many phone numbers on your phone. You can choose up to four free burner phone numbers from the US, Canada, France, the UK, Poland, and the UK. In addition, you can call overseas landlines, mobiles, and other devices using Cloud SIM.

This free burner app allows you to set up calls through the internet or a GSM network and lets you select your connection type. It makes sure that call dropouts and poor reception are never an issue. Cloud SIM includes several remarkable features, including the quality to tailor your profile as per your preferences and unique voicemails on each profile. In addition, you can choose when you are away or available with the help of the “Do-not-disturb” option.

Overall, it’s one best burner phone number apps, whether you’re meeting customers and joining up for an online selling or dating service. You can also set up an international phone number when traveling or communicating with friends abroad.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

4. 2ndLine

The fully-featured 2ndLine free burner app provides a free burner phone number in addition to your personal phone number. Additionally, it provides a free local calling and texting number supported by advertisements; however, the paid version also includes premium services and removes the commercials.

With 2ndLine, you can download the app, choose a phone number, and start using an additional line on your phone to make and receive unlimited calls and texts immediately. This burner phone app, accessible in the US and Canada, offers free local speaking and text and reasonable pricing for international connections.

The iOS version of 2ndLine is not yet known to be available, unlike the majority of the other best free burner phone number apps on this list. Rather than using your cellular network to provide an extra line, 2ndLine is a VoIP solution that uses your internet or WiFi connection. As a result, 2ndLine calls and texts are not recorded on your device’s regular phone bill. Your conversations voicemail can also be saved as an audio file through the service.

Download for Android

5. Line2

In contrast to the other best free burner phone number apps, Line2 is a service geared toward businesses and provides extra functionality for business users. Additional benefits include toll-free numbers for international clients, conference calls, and auto-attendants. Additionally, this free burner phone app offers free, infinite VoIP phone calls and SMS within North America.

Additionally, users of Line2 can call and message for free. Using an auto-attendant function, users can direct them to the appropriate call queues, such as sales as well as support. It is a cross-platform free burner app that works across desktop and mobile platforms. It also offers on-hold music and pre-recorded call greetings (Windows, Mac).

Users can add numerous business lines to their current phones and acquire necessary business functionality without purchasing new hardware. You can also edit, add, or remove a business phone line by communicating with the support staff. Additionally, users have call-by-call options for screening and banning.

Line2 is among the best free burner phone number apps that allow you to divide your personal and professional conversations. Additionally, it does away with the requirement to buy and carry a secondary phone.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

6. CoverMe

CoverMe is one of the best free burner phone number apps that offers disappearing messages, encrypted messaging, anonymous SMS, etc., which sets itself apart from rivals. You can conceal text messages, secret call records, and personal contacts using the shake-to-lock feature. You shake the phone to lock your private messages and keep them hidden from curious eyes. According to CoverMe, everything is end-to-end encrypted.

With the help of CoverMe Private Messenger, you may conceal your primary phone number for anonymous voice calls and texts by using the US or Canadian number. Additionally, this free burner phone number app provides additional phone numbers with different area codes, which are ideal for business, online dating services, and other situations requiring increased secrecy.

Finally, it enables you to use a temporary second phone line to make secure, private phone conversations via the internet to the US, Canada, and China (VoIP). The fact that your call logs won’t appear on your phone bill is the finest part. This is one of the best burner phone number apps on this list since you may change the temporary phone number anytime.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

7. Flyp

It is another best burner phone apps for iOS and Android that generates burner phone numbers. On your current phone, it offers five alternative free burner phone numbers. Each free burner number can have any area code, and local numbers are always available. The burner phone number offers unlimited talk, text, and picture messaging.

Flyp allows you to text and calls people in over 15 major countries. By setting a “Do Not Disturb mode” for each phone number, you may also choose who can contact you. In addition, Flyp gives each burner phone number personalized voicemail greetings and unlimited calls and messages. For seven days, the initial Flyp phone number is free; each phone number costs $79.99 yearly or $7.99 monthly.

Additionally, Flyp allows you to view all your texts, voicemails, and calls in one location, saving you from going between several apps to view your communication with contacts. Additionally, it boosts reliability by only providing connections through your carrier’s cellular network. However, it appears on your monthly account and deducts from your voice allotment under your cell phone plan.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

8. Google Voice

It is the first free burner phone number app since it has existed for ten years. Voicemail, SMS, and voice messages are available through Google Voice, a virtual phone service. It syncs with your devices and functions on both PCs and cell phones.

You can make and receive calls using Google Voice numbers from anywhere because they operate with mobile devices and the internet. This burner phone app also provides many benefits, including call forwarding, voicemail transcription, AI-powered spam prevention, and more.

You can view advanced voicemail transcriptions in the app or request that they be delivered to your email using Google Voice. Additionally, you can use the service to call abroad at affordable rates without paying a premium. But you can also make calls over a Google Voice access number, which uses your carrier’s cellular network, using Google Voice for Android. Therefore, it also deducts from your voice credit.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

9. Grasshopper

Another best free burner phone number app that gives your personal phone a business phone line and the virtual system is called Grasshopper. Grasshopper, among the biggest corporate virtual phone market players, targets mainly small enterprises. This free burner phone number app provides common features like personalized automatic greetings, Caller ID, and various extensions that make businesses more professional and profitable without spending much money.

Users can get a complete virtual system from Grasshopper for a fair fee. The app offers many US cities toll-free numbers, vanity numbers, and regular local phone numbers. You can also port an active virtual or business number to Grasshopper for free. Access to your voicemail transcription, call history, call forwarding, on-hold music, and other capabilities are significant. In order to test it before purchasing, the app also provides a 7-day trial.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

10. MightyCall

Another best free burner phone number app that generates second phone numbers is MightyCall which mostly targets companies. It claims to be the finest substitute for Grasshopper, and a glance at its features explains why. MightyCall burner phone number app offers toll-free, vanity, and regular local numbers, similar to the earlier app.

Additionally, you receive other features you anticipate in this industry, such as premium (EV) SSL certificates with 256-bit encryption, personalized automated greetings, and support for various extensions for each burner phone number.

MightyCall is a VoIP + CRM solution geared toward small enterprises, with slightly more reasonable costs than Grasshopper. The prices begin at $29.99 per month, including taxes, with 5 virtual phone numbers (toll-free or local) and unlimited users available for $49.99 flat.

So naturally, MightyCall also offers a 7-day free trial to use the service before buying. Other capabilities that this free burner phone number app includes social media tracking call waiting, conference calling, voicemail transcriptions, webphones, softphones, desk phone assistance, international phone calls, and more.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

11. TalkU

TalkU is another best free burner phone number apps that you can use to send unlimited free texts and calls domestically and internationally. In addition, using the free burner phone number you receive from this software, you can freely share your videos, audio files, and images.

Of course, some requirements must be met to make the app free. You can obtain credit scores that you can use for cost-free calls and texts by, for example, watching video advertisements, logging into the app daily, finishing sponsored offers, etc.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

12. Dingtone

Dingtone is one of the best burner phone number apps that lets you utilize a second phone number to make free calls and SMSs. However, it continues to be free since it uses a Gamified credit system. This has a mixed effect on Dingtone’s favor. Users must play games for credit scores, which they may use to make free calls and text messages.

On the plus side, the app’s intriguing idea keeps users interested. The drawback is that a lot of consumers can find it confusing. For example, if you don’t keep up the necessary credit score, you can also lose the Dingtone number you were given.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

13. Sideline

Finally, we have Sideline to wind up the list of the best free burner number apps. With this application, you can perform a lot of actions, such as unlimited calling and text messaging, VOIP calling, and a lot more.

Moreover, Sideline allows you to port numbers from and to other services and choose your carrier or WiFi for calling. Furthermore, there are many business-centric features, such as appointment reminders, broadcast messages, auto-replies, message templates, shared numbers, international calls, and much more.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

14. TextFree

Yet another best burner phone app free available both for iOs and Android is TextFree. The application works over WiFi and has a bunch of extraordinary options. One notable thing is you must use the number in a continuous manner. If left unused for 30 days you can end up losing it.

However, to resolve this you can switch to the Paid version. This upgrade allows you to keep the number intact even when not using it for days. The Free version has ads but the subscription plan fixes this too.

This free burner phone number online application requires no SIM card as it can work on WiFi. But some users also complained about its complicated User Interface. Also, subscription plans are comparatively costlier.

Download for iOS

Download for Android

15. TextNow

You are able to generate and add a large number of phone numbers to your phone by using this software, which is among the greatest free burner phone number applications. Free burner phone numbers from the United States of America, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, and the United Kingdom are available for selection. In addition, you may use TextNow to make calls to mobile phones, landlines, and other devices located in foreign countries.

Whether you’re meeting consumers, signing up for an online selling business, or using a dating site, it’s one of the finest burner phone number applications overall. If you are going to be traveling or talking with friends who live in other countries, you may also set up an international phone number.

By using this free burner program, you are able to set up calls using either the internet or a GSM network, and you are also able to choose the sort of connection you want to use. As a result, it eliminates the possibility of call dropouts and poor reception ever occurring. One of the many wonderful features that TextNow offers is the ability to personalize your profile according to your tastes, as well as the ability to create individual voicemails for each profile. Additionally, with the assistance of the “Do-not-disturb” option, you are able to choose when times of day you are accessible or when you are away.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

16. Free Tone

Let us introduce you to Free Tone. It is among the best free second phone number apps for iOS because of its free voicemails, location sharing, group texting, and more. Additionally, it boasts many features, such as the availability of a plethora of stickers to make chats interesting, easy media file sharing, 500 minutes of free incoming calls, and a lot more.

Download for iOS

Conclusion

The benefits of having the best free burner phone number apps are numerous. The burner phone apps mentioned above will familiarise you with a real number that will serve as your burner phone number, regardless of the motivation. You’ll be able to forward calls, block calls you don’t want to receive, and identify the caller of an incoming call using that free burner phone number.

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Computer

10 best desktop computers of 2024

By admin March 29, 2024

10 best desktop computers of 2024, There are hundreds of desktop PCs you can buy from brands like HP, Dell, Apple, and Lenovo, but only a select few make it to the list of the best desktops. We’ve reviewed dozens of desktop PCs across both Windows and macOS, and these 10 stand above the pack.

The Dell XPS Desktop 8960 remains the best desktop PC you can buy in 2024. However, we have several other options depending on your budget and needs, including desktops for gaming, remote work, and more. We’ll provide a quick overview here, but make sure to read our write-up on how we review desktops for a deeper look at our evaluation process.

Quick overview

• Dell XPS Desktop 8960: A highly flexible desktop that can accommodate almost any budget and purpose, from home office work to high-end gaming.

• Lenovo Legion Tower 7i: A well-built and customizable desktop that shoots ahead in gaming performance.

• Apple iMac 24-inch: Apple’s iMac 24-inch is only better now with the M3 chip at the helm.

• Apple Mac Mini M2: A supercharged version of Apple’s storied Mac Mini that’s as portable as it is powerful.

• Lenovo Yoga AIO 9i: One of the most powerful all-in-one PCs you can buy still, and with a stunning set of features.

• Falcon Northwest Tiki: A boutique desktop PC that’s small and very powerful for gaming.

• Apple Mac Studio: A tiny PC that packs some of the most powerful hardware on the market.

• HP Envy Move: The perfect desktop for a hybrid working style.

• Lenovo ThinkStation P620: A powerful workstation that can handle the most demanding tasks.

• Ayaneo AM01: A quant mini PC that packs a surprising amount of power for a low price.

Why you should trust us

We’ve reviewed hundreds of desktop PCs for years, looking for machines that stand out for gaming, home office use, photo and video editing, and so much more. From miniature PCs that can fit on a bookshelf to behemoth desktops with custom liquid cooling, we’ve seen literally everything, and we know what stands out and what doesn’t.

Key considerations when selecting the best desktop

There are a few key areas we focus on when looking a desktop computer.

Performance

Performance is king when it comes to a desktop computer, but it’s not an equal bar for every PC. Some machines, like the Mac Mini, are offering power in a portable package, while a desktop like the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i goes all-out for gaming prowess. We meet desktops where they’re at, evaluating what they’re trying to accomplish, and at what price.

Build quality

A desktop may look nice, but it’s built of cheap plastics and throwaway components, it won’t last for long. Our review process includes a teardown of every desktop to understand what the internal components look like. In addition, we look at fan placement, ventilation, and cooling to ensure the desktops will stay quiet during operation without overheating.

Support

Things go wrong with PCs, so it’s important to have a robust support system in place. A one-year warranty is standard on most electronics, so we look for companies that go above and beyond what’s required with multi-year warranties and around-the-clock support.

Upgradability

One of the main benefits of a desktop PC is that you can upgrade it in the future, but some brands have missed that memo. We keep an eye out for proprietary components and try to focus on desktops that provide some upgrade paths for users. This isn’t possible for all machines, though, such as Apple’s iMac, where upgrades are tricky for end users due to the form factor.

Dell XPS 8960

The best desktop computer

The best overall desktop PC is the one that will work for the most people, and that’s the Dell XPS 8960. It’s understated in all the right ways, reasonably priced considering the power you can pack inside, and comes in a variety of configurations to suit work, gaming, or both. Choosing the highest-rated PC isn’t easy, but the Dell XPS 8960 gets rid of that issue.

Regardless of what configuration you choose, you’ll find something that matches your needs. That’s because Dell builds them custom ordered, which is the best feature of the XPS 8960. The options are nearly endless, with prices ranging from $750 to over $3,000 depending on the parts you choose. Some of the desktops come without a discrete graphics card, meaning they’re more suited for work than games. However, you can get one of the more expensive ones that include a discrete graphics card.

Dell is offering this new XPS desktop with Intel Raptor Lake and DDR5 RAM for those who are in search of the best gaming PC. You can add up to an RTX 4090 graphics card as well, which is a serious amount of power considering the size of the machine. Powerful hardware means more heat, but the XPS 8950 gets rid of it well with optional liquid cooling and a case with plenty of room for airflow.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i

The best desktop PC for gaming

The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i gets almost everything right. It comes with the latest flagship hardware, packing in an Nvidia RTX 4080 and a 13th-gen Intel Core i9 processor, and it comes in a sleek, attractive design that doesn’t get too loud or hot. Perhaps most importantly, it uses standard-sized components so you can upgrade it in the future.

That’s easily the best thing about the Legion Tower 7i. It comes with the more affordable price of a mainstream gaming PC without any of the hurdles that come from brands like Alienware and Asus. The convenience doesn’t come at the cost of performance, either. Based on our testing, the Legion Tower 7i is just as fast as a custom-built PC with the same hardware.

The only downside is how the machine is configured. It comes with fast DDR5 memory, so this computer is great for playing ricky casino online without lag, but it’s set up to run at a slower speed out of the box. That didn’t make a big difference in overall performance based on our testing, but certain applications will run slightly slower in the Tower 7i’s default configuration. Thankfully, boosting the memory speed just takes a couple of clicks.

Apple iMac 24-inch

The best desktop for photo editing

Apple’s iMac 24-inch hasn’t seen a lot of love, but that all changed with the introduction of the M3 chip. Sporting the same stunning design and beautiful screen we fell in love with a few years ago, the iMac Apple is selling today truly is the same, but better.

That all comes down to the M3 chip. Compared to its M1 predecessor, the new model is at least 20% faster, and often much more. The graphics processor, in particular, is impressive. It even manages to beat some of Apple’s older Pro series chips, going as far as to have playable performance in games like Lies of P.

Apple didn’t change much else about the iMac, but it didn’t need to. The 4.5K Retina display is still stunning with a high pixel density, and the speakers are second to none. The upgraded webcam is exceptional, too, offering up a 1080p resolution for crisp video calls. If you’re looking for an all-in-one that just works in 2024, the iMac M3 is for you.

Apple Mac mini M2

The best desktop computer for home

We rarely give products a perfect score, but that’s exactly what Apple’s Mac mini M2 earned in our full review. The updated mini PC features the same compact footprint that Apple has used for over a decade, but now with a major update under the hood.

The base M2 model is a big upgrade over 2020’s Mac mini M1, but the updated desktop really shines with the M2 Pro chip. That takes the Mac mini from being a MacBook without a screen to a full-fledged creator machine capable of tackling the most demanding tasks you can throw at a computer today.

The only problem is the base configuration, which comes with a much slower SSD. We wholeheartedly recommend the Mac mini M2, but make sure to read our Mac mini M2 buying guide to pick the right configuration.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 9i

The best desktop computer for work

It’s really hard recommending an all-in-one over Apple’s iMac, but the Lenovo Yoga AIO 9i is certainly a contender. It’s a 4K desktop that impresses with great performance, a solid price, and one of the best integrated displays we’ve seen, as well as some unique features.

The machine is powered by Intel’s Core i9-13900H, which is one of the most powerful mobile CPUs you can buy. It’s more than enough to handle work applications, and it can even step up for some photo or video editing. More impressive, you can configure the machine with a mobile RTX 4050 graphics card, giving you a little gaming grunt if you need it.

The Yoga AIO 9i makes this list due to its screen and features, however. The 32-inch 4K display is stunning with its glossy finish, and it comes with great color accuracy out of the box. It has some tricks in the base, as well, including a wireless charging pad for your phone.

Falcon Northwest Tiki

The best mini gaming PC

Falcon Northwest is one of the few true boutique PC builders left, and the Tiki explains why. It’s one of the smallest gaming PCs you can buy, and it still manages to pack in flagship hardware. More importantly, the Tiki does both without sacrificing heat or thermals, which is the biggest pitfall for small form factor machines.

It’s expensive, but Falcon Northwest’s attention to detail still manages to stand out. From premium component selection to a detailed dossier of every aspect of your build, the Tiki goes beyond being just a shell for high-end components.

Falcon Northwest offers the machine with AMD or Intel configurations, paired with up to an RTX 3090 GPU. Unfortunately, the Tiki is too small to fit Nvidia’s monstrous RTX 4090. Although the Tiki is clearly a gaming PC first, Falcon Northwest also offers it with Nvidia’s professional GPUs.

Apple Mac Studio

The best desktop for video editing

It feels like the Mac Studio has finally found its footing. It straddled a strange line previous, not quite reaching the level of the Mac Pro while falling short of the value-focused Mac mini. With the M2 Ultra or M2 Max, the Mac Studio finally feels like premium, Pro-level Mac Apple fans have waited for.

It’s crazy fast, getting close and sometimes even beating top-level PC components like the Core i9-13900K and RTX 4090. That’s all the more impressive considering the size of the Mac Studio, which barely takes up a fraction of your desk space. Even considering the high price, the performance and size of the Mac Studio make it feel like a downright deal.

It has all of the professional trimmings you’d expect, too, including support for massive storage arrays and great external monitor support. The Mac mini is still better for most people, but if you can take advantage of the power of the Mac Studio, it’s tough to beat.

HP Envy Move

The best desktop computer for home office

The HP Envy Move is one of the most unique desktops we’ve ever seen. It’s a desktop, but it’s also portable, and it’s the perfect fit for the hybrid work style so many of us have fallen into.

It’s a basic all-in-one at its core, but the Envy Move’s trick is that the legs automatically fold in, allowing you to pick it up and carry it with you. There’s a carrying handle on the back, and activating it will automatically tuck in the legs. And with an included battery, you really can pick up your PC and take it anywhere. There’s even a sleeve in the back so you can tuck in the included keyboard/trackpad combo.

HP doesn’t charge a massive premium for this design, either. The Envy Move starts at just $750 for a mobile Intel 13th-gen CPU, which offers acceptable performance for basic home office tasks.

Lenovo ThinkStation P620

The best desktop workstation computer

The Lenovo ThinkStation P620 is a workstation in every sense of the word. This is a desktop designed to perform the most resource-heavy tasks out there. Created specifically for engineering, data science, machine learning, 3D modeling, video editing, and more, the ThinkStation is the kind of PC that will find uses across many fields, aiding professionals in their daily tasks.

More importantly, it’s the only workstation available now with AMD’s Threadripper 5000 Pro processors. You can pack in up to a Threadripper Pro 5995WX processor, which packs in 64 cores and 128 threads, along with an astounding 256MB of L3 cache. Similarly, you can add up to two Nvidia Quadro GV100 GPUs, which is powerful enough for even the most demanding tasks.

The other specs are just as impressive – eight RAM slots for up to 512GB of memory, as well as six drive slots for up to 24TB of storage. Windows 11 comes default on the machine, but you can also have it pre-configured for Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Ubuntu as well.

The Lenovo P620 isn’t for everyone. It’s an insanely expensive workstation that can cost upwards of $40,000 fully tricked out, but for professionals who demand peak performance, nothing can touch the ThinkStation P620.

Ayaneo Retro Mini PC AM01

The coolest desktop PC

Sometimes just looking cool is enough. The Ayaneo Retro Mini PC AM01 is in that position. It’s styled after an old-school Mac, fit with a plastic, off-white shell and a badge indicative of an early 1990s Apple logo, but the nostalgic mini PC packs a lot of power under the hood.

It features up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U CPU, along with up to 64GB of memory,and up to 2TB of SSD storage. Pricing starts at just $200, with a maxed-out configuration costing $421. This PC isn’t going to floor you in performance, but it’s surprisingly component given its size and low price.

Perhaps the best use case, however, is as an emulator. The AM01 makes a perfect retro gaming companion, all while having a full installation of Windows 11 to back up its usefulness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best brand of desktop computer?

Dell, HP, Lenovo – how do you know what brand of desktop PC is best for you? Brand loyalty isn’t the best way to approach desktop PCs, but brands have certain specialties. Apple is focused on rock-solid performance and a clean user experience for a slightly higher price, for example, while Dell creates several PCs that have the bandwidth for a home office and a gaming setup.

The best thing to do is look at individual desktop reviews rather than relying on what someone says is the “best brand.” Some brands come out with excellent PCs one generation and poor desktops the next, so it’s important to check in on reviews when you need to upgrade.

What is the best processor for a desktop computer?

The best CPU will depend on how you’re using your desktop. Gamers who want the utmost performance will want an overclockable Intel Core i9-14900K found on most high-end systems, while creatives looking at juggling large media files will want something with more cores. That means AMD, which offers 12- and 16-core chips in the form of the AMD Ryzen 7900X and 7950X.

If you’re working primarily on Office files and use your desktop to browse the web, scaling down to an Intel Core i5 or Core i7, or an AMD Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 5 processor, would help make substantial savings without impacting performance much.

Should my desktop have USB-C or Thunderbolt 3?

USB-C is beginning to show up in more desktop builds, but it’s still more common on laptops. It’s not strictly necessary, as there are plenty of USB-A to USB-C cables out there, but if it’s a must for you, keep an eye on the case that your new system comes in. That will or won’t have USB-C as standard.

Thunderbolt 3 uses the USB-C form factor but it offers the most bandwidth of any USB-based wired connection available at this time, giving speeds that scorch standard USB ports. However, it is even less common on desktops than plain old USB-C. If you want it, you’ll need to go with an Intel or Apple system, though if you opt for the former and Thunderbolt 3 is not standard on the chassis or motherboard, you could always get a PCI-Express add-in card that has it.

When is the best time to buy a desktop?

The best time to buy a desktop is when your current computer isn’t able to handle the applications you want to use. Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day usually bring the steepest discounts on desktop computers, but the reality is that you can score a deal on a PC almost any time during the year. Make sure to keep our roundup of the best desktop deals handy for when you want to upgrade.

How do you know if you need a laptop or desktop?

Choosing between a desktop and a laptop comes down to portability and comfort. You can take a laptop nearly anywhere, but they’re not as comfortable to use as desktops with a larger screen. On the other hand, a desktop is more flexible and allows you to use a keyboard/mouse combo you like, but it’s restricted to one area.

Consider what you’ll use your machine for. If you’re gaming, for example, a desktop makes more sense. If you’re answering email and browsing the internet, a laptop is probably better a option.

How to choose a desktop computer

If your existing PC is so slow it can barely run Windows Solitaire, let alone video editing software, don’t fret. There’s some good news for computer users facing the inevitable upgrade: There’s never been a better time to buy a new PC.

Prices are at an all-time low, while at the same time, computers are becoming incredibly powerful and full of convenient features. But choosing the right computer to match your needs and budget can be an overwhelming task — especially for tech-shy folks intimidated by geeky terminology and pushy salespeople.

Here’s how to choose a computer that’s just right for you.

Laptop or desktop

If you require portability, then a laptop (also referred to as a “notebook”) PC is for you. But if you want the flexibility of adding a larger display or upgrading other components (such as adding a bigger hard drive or better video card), then perhaps a desktop PC is the way to go.

If you buy a desktop computer, you will also need a display to plug into it to see anything, unless you buy an all-in-one computer, such as Dell All-in-One or an Apple iMac, which have the display built directly into the unit. If you’ve decided on a laptop, you’ll need to consider portability like weight and size. A larger screen is nice, but do you want to deal with the added size and weight? The bigger the screen (e.g. 17 inches as opposed to 12 inches), the bigger and heavier the laptop will be.

While laptops are becoming more powerful, a desktop is still better suited for graphic-intensive applications such as computer gaming, video editing, or animation rendering. But if portability is a priority, then laptops are the only way to go.

Other things to keep in mind when deciding between a laptop and a desktop computer include upfront costs, noise and cooling, and peripherals. You should expect a laptop to cost a bit more than a desktop of similar specifications, as you’re buying the display and input mechanisms at the same time, as well as paying for a battery — though there are great budget laptops out there.

Laptops are also often very compact, which means they are more likely to be noisier when the fans ramp up to keep the computer cool. While desktops can also get noisy when under heavy loads like gaming or video editing, they tend to still be quieter than laptops under the same load due to the improved airflow in the case — and you can always modify the cooling to improve it. That’s not so easy with laptops.

As for peripherals, desktops tend to have more ports than laptops, meaning if you need to connect a bunch of peripherals (e.g. printers, external storage, speakers, microphone, etc.) then a desktop may be a better choice. The latest port standards include USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, which are excellent connections to look for.

Mac or Windows

Personal preference and experience dictate the operating system of choice more than anything, making it hard to recommend one over the other. The best way to tell which one is ideal for you is to try both out to see which one feels more intuitive for you to work on, and which one will work with your favorite programs. Mac computers are generally more expensive than Windows-based PCs, though they tend to be a little more secure. With fewer macOS PCs out there, hackers are less interested in making viruses for them. The closed-ecosystem approach Apple employs for its products also makes it harder to distribute malware — though not impossible.

Windows PCs have a much more robust gaming ecosystem to enjoy and are definitely better for gamers.

Outside of that niche, the app ecosystem for both macOS and Windows is very good — there are so many apps for both platforms so no matter what you need to do, you’ll likely be able to find an app to accomplish the task. Ultimately, you need to make the call for yourself, but definitely keep in mind that today’s Mac computers can also run the Windows operating system through programs such as Boot Camp, Parallels, or VMWare Fusion.

Power and performance

Performance is arguably the most important metric of any PC, and the CPU is the heart of that. You want at the very least a dual-core CPU with simultaneous multithreading/hyperthreading, but a quad-core will make a big difference to your everyday PC performance. Intel’s Core i3 and AMD’s Ryzen 3 CPUs are fantastic in this respect, though especially the latter.

If you need a bit more power for any kind of photo or video editing or are planning to play the latest games, then ideally you will want to look for a computer that sports a six-core (or better) processor such as an Intel i5 or i7 or an AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7.

For more in-depth CPU buying information, check out our guide on how to choose a CPU.

When it comes to system memory, or RAM, you want to make sure you have enough, and not too much more. A capacity of 8GB to 16GB is the sweet spot for most users, including heavy gamers; 32GB and beyond is only really recommended if you’re doing a lot of heavy video editing, and will very much depend on the particular software you want to use.

A graphics card can be the most expensive part of a PC and is only necessary if you’re looking to play games. If you are, buy a GPU that fits your needs and budget. There’s no point in buying a $1,000 graphics card if all you want to play is Minecraft, but you’ll be disappointed if you try to play the latest AAA games on a budget GPU. Check out the specifications of the games you want to play to help decide which graphics card is right for you or check out our list of the best GPUs you can buy.

Want to game on the go? Check out our list of the best gaming laptops available.

Storage

The size of a hard drive or solid-state drive determines how many programs and files you can fit on it before running out of space. Unless you’re buying something like a Chromebook where cloud storage is a big feature, a computer with at least 500GB of space is a good starting point. If you have a lot of games or movies that you want to store, then you’ll want to consider a secondary drive with a terabyte or two of additional space.

Today, most computers have at least one SSD, or solid-state drive, for storage. SSDs are much faster than older HDDs (hard disk drives with moving, magnetic parts), which means you can open and find files faster. SSDs are your best bet for a boot drive, with traditional hard drives best suited as additional storage space and secondary drives.

If you’re concerned about running out of space on your drive, don’t be. There are so many options to expand your storage for either a laptop or desktop with an inexpensive external hard drive or even cloud storage. External drives (you can find both external hard drives and external SSDs) are great, and these days, depending on which one you buy, can be just as fast as your internal drive thanks to new technologies such as Thunderbolt 4.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

If you’re shopping for a laptop, chances are it’ll have integrated wireless networking features. This means you can log on to the internet at broadband speeds when in range of a Wi-Fi network, be it at home, work, school, or one of many thousand “hotspots” around the world, including cafés, hotels, airport lounges, and so on. The latest laptops have 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) technology — which offers a 30% to 60% speed boost over the older 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) technology and is a safer bet if you want to prepare for future devices.

Bluetooth is another common wireless feature that most laptops (and some desktops) have, which can make phone syncing easier (read: cable-free) and even add support for headsets and headphones, allowing you to roam freely while on a voice call or listening to music. Any desktop you choose should also offer Wi-Fi 5 or 6 wireless networking capability (offered via a built-in or optional attachment), or come with an integrated Ethernet port, which enables connection to the internet via an Ethernet cable.

Going Chromebook

While Windows and Mac are the common choices for operating systems, there is an alternative for new users — a Chromebook. Chromebooks run on Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system designed for ultra-portable laptops.

Chromebooks are a give-and-take proposition: They tend to be very affordable, very easy to use, and ideal choices for more casual users, students, and those who want to save money while still getting a laptop. They also have growing compatibility with Android apps. On the other hand, they typically have limited power, very little storage (depending on cloud storage for many activities), and limited capability to run more demanding software or applications without Chrome OS compatibility.

If you’re interested in a laptop with a light footprint, we suggest you check out our guide to Chromebooks, and our current list of best Chromebooks on the market.

Build your own computer

If you’re feeling a little adventurous and are looking to do something a bit different, there’s always the option to build your own computer. It’s quite a lot of fun too, plus these days it’s easier than ever to find and buy all the parts you will need, and all the advice above still applies.

If you’re interested in building your own computer, the best place to start compiling a parts list is PCPartPicker. At PCPartPicker you can compile a list of parts from various retail websites including Newegg and Amazon. What’s even nicer is if you pick parts that aren’t compatible, PCPartPicker will let you know.

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Featured

The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2024

By admin March 29, 2024

The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2024, The iPhone’s default keyboard may not meet everyone’s needs. Its limited features may leave some users wanting more variety and flexibility, especially on larger devices like the iPhone 15 Pro Max or smaller models like the iPhone SE (2022).

We have conducted research and compiled a comprehensive list of the best third-party keyboards for iPhone, that can significantly enhance your texting experience. These keyboards offer a wide range of features and customization options, such as adjustable key size, swipe typing, themes, and easier access to emojis. Most of these keyboards are available for free, while some offer premium subscription options. Either way, you’ll easily be able to find a keyboard that suits your needs and preferences.

Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard

Microsoft’s SwiftKey AI keyboard is a highly rated third-party keyboard that is favored by many people. The keyboard is powered by the company’s Copilot AI and is designed to learn your writing style. This allows it to recognize informal language, nicknames, and even your favorite emojis, which sets it apart from its competitors. The keyboard also offers various personalization options, including different themes, which enhance its appearance and appeal to the user.

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The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2024

Typewise Custom Keyboard

Typewise has a unique take on key shapes. The app keeps the QWERTY design but switches the traditional rectangle-shaped keys for hexagonal ones — which Typewise says creates more surface area so you can type more accurately. While there is a slight learning curve, Typewise includes a built-in game to practice typing. With swipe gestures, dark mode support, and autocorrect modification, this is a great alternative for those tired of the conventional iOS keyboard. Newer versions include automatic language detection, which switches the app between selected languages, an undo button, and text replacement for often-used phrases.

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Grammarly

The Grammarly iOS keyboard app offers sophisticated grammar review that goes beyond the usual spell check to provide advice on punctuation, spelling context, and misused words. It also helps you build your vocabulary and offers synonyms, which makes it an ideal app for students or business people. Grammarly also has emoji, a smart autocorrect feature, and allows you to build your own dictionary. You also get features that include swipe typing, home screen widgets, and focus filters that mute vibrations and sound effects.

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Facemoji AI Emoji Keyboard

The Facemoji Emoji Keyboard is a free tool that allows you to add a touch of personality to text messages and social media posts. With a wide range of emojis, fonts, and stickers available, you can easily create unique and engaging content for platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, Snapchat, and SMS. Whether you want to express your emotions through colorful emojis or add some flair to your text with stylish fonts, the Facemoji Emoji Keyboard has something for everyone.

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Phraseboard Keyboard

Phraseboard aims to take the pain out of the tedious job of typing the same responses and phrases repeatedly by allowing you to save them so you can select one of your prewritten answers to reply rapidly. You can create your own customized phrases and sort them by category. You can even quickly access the Phraseboard widget to create new phrases no matter what you’re doing with your iPhone. All your phrases sync with iCloud. The basic app costs $2, and subscriptions are available for some premium language and functionality features.

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Gboard – the Google Keyboard

Gboard is a keyboard from Google and includes everything you’d ever want within a single app. Whether you’re sending GIFs or emojis, searching Google for information, sending directions, or anything else, Gboard has you covered. With Gboard, you can search and send anything from Google, including information on nearby restaurants, videos, images, weather forecasts, news, sports scores — you name it. The app also offers Glide Typing, which allows you to type messages faster and more accurately.

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Fleksy- GIF, Web & Yelp Search

Fleksy offers users a fun and interactive way to type in their own style. You can customize your Fleksy keyboard with powerful extensions and more than 50 colorful themes. Some of the themes cost $1, but many are free. More than 800 emoji come with the app, and it also has its own built-in GIF search engine. The keyboard supports several languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Hebrew, and Dutch. It learns your typing habits as you go, enabling it to give you accurate predictions, which helps reduce typos.

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Fonts

Are you tired of sending your friends and family the same old boring messages? Spice things up with the Fonts keyboard app! You can customize your messages with a wide selection of fonts to fit your unique personality and style. Whether you’re feeling flirty, professional, or just plain silly, there’s a font for every mood. The Fonts keyboard works through iMessage, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Clubhouse, TikTok, Telegram, Roblox, WhatsApp, Twitch, Discord, and more.

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Color Keyboard – Themes, Fonts

The king of keyboard customization is Color Keyboard. Sure, it gives you emoji and autocorrection and even allows you to tap and hold the space bar to move the cursor, but what really sets this keyboard apart is the option to change anything you want about the keyboard’s look. You can change the background using solid colors, gradients, textures, and even your own pictures.

You can also customize the buttons by changing the colors and borders, adding shadows, customizing the fonts, and changing the sounds. If your aim is customization, Color Keyboard takes things to the next level, but you have to subscribe to access everything, starting at $3 per week and rising for longer intervals and premium features.

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Bitmoji

Bitstrips

Bitmoji, a popular keyboard app, is ideal if you want to send an emoji that resembles you rather than using standard emoji or text. Bitmoji allows you to customize and send a personalized emoji, all from your keyboard. Use Bitmoji with any of your favorite chat apps, like iMessage or Snapchat. It’s never been easier to adapt a dynamic avatar with an ever-changing collection of stickers and moods. You’ll need your Facebook login information to sign into Bitmoji and initiate the avatar creation process.

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GIF Keyboard

Tenor

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a GIF can truly help get your point across. Get access to the massive library of animated and musical GIFs for free. From there, you can search for specific GIFs or use keywords to find animations that suit your mood. The GIF keyboard app is compatible with WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, iMessage, and just about any other messaging app or social media site.

To send a GIF, press your finger on your chosen GIF and hold it down to browse options. Once you’ve found one, share its link, the GIF itself, or a video, or save the media to your photo library. You can also customize the tool to match your specifications and save your favorite GIFs using the keyboard.

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All Symbol Keyboard Fonts Aa

MelonSoup

For the visual among us, the All Symbol Keyboard is an exciting alternative to humdrum alphanumerics with all the custom fonts, symbols, fancy letters, special characters, and emoticons you could ever want — compatible with any app on your iPhone. It works with Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and many others. Whether you’re looking for high-impact symbols to enhance your keyboard, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter posts, or even your username, launch the app and start typing. Premium versions provide unlimited access to features like the All Symbol Keyboard (every single symbol) and Facemoji library, but there’s tons of free stuff to get you started.

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The best emoji keyboards for Android and iOS

Gone are the days when words were enough to fully express our thoughts and feelings. Emoji, a recently accepted form of pictographic communication that now serves as a kind of Esperanto for the internet age, plays a major role in interpersonal and international communications. Most major keyboards for both Android and iOS feature built-in support for emoji, but they are hardly front and center. If you’re looking for a keyboard to truly satisfy your emoji obsession, you may need a dedicated emoji keyboard to carry out the task of conveying your emotions visually via a text environment.

When you download a keyboard app in iOS, you must add it to your list of keyboards. To do this, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboards. Then, scroll to the Third-Party Keyboards section and choose the keyboard app. Then, tap on the keyboard app and toggle on Allow Full Access. For Android 10, you can install your new keyboard directly via the Google Play Store to your Android phone, if it is compatible with the app, and then launch and follow any directions it has.

Here are a few of our favorite third-party keyboard apps for iOS and Android.

Gboard

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Gboard is a highly functional keyboard from Google that concentrates on handy features like emoji search, GIFs, stickers, and glide typing. Best of all, it has the Google search app integrated into the keyboard — no more switching apps. Just search for anything from the weather to your neighborhood bodega and send, all from this nifty keyboard.

Emoji>

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Emoji> offers a ton of emoji characters you can use via the keyboard, and they’re split into different categories, making it easy to find the emoji you’re looking for. The keyboard also provides animated stickers and the ability to set up specific emoji as favorites, so you can access them at a moment’s notice without having to search for the ones you want. Updates include compatibility with iOS 14 and all of its attendant emoji, including smiling face with tear, disguised face, ninja, pinched fingers, heart and lungs, black cat, polar bear, seal, dodo sandal, bubble tea, and toothbrush. New emoji widgets are also on hand.

Microsoft Swiftkey

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Swiftkey is not an emoji keyboard per se, but it is the next best thing — an excellent keyboard that comes pre-loaded with hundreds of emoji for you to use. Swiftkey is already a great favorite because of its valuable predictive typing, which can also be applied to emoji. When you type a word or phrase, for example, the app suggests emoji that you can quickly use. The most recent versions include renaming the app to Microsoft Swiftkey, a new Messaging Center on the keyboard toolbar, haptic feedback, one-handed mode, 400 new languages, and new language layouts.

ai.type Keyboard Plus

As its name implies, ai.type was developed around artificial intelligence, aiming to assist people in typing quickly and accurately. It also allows you to personalize the keyboard to fit your individual needs, enabling you to adjust the keyboard’s layout, theme, and color scheme. This means you can set an emoji front and center and select from an extensive inventory of more than 1,000 characters.

Similar to many other keyboard applications, the keyboard can also propose emojis depending on what you type. The most current versions are compatible with the new Emoji 12.1 for 2020 and 517 new emoji. Around 23 new gender-neutral emoji icons have been added. Some of these include a gender-neutral firefighter, astronaut, a person in a wheelchair, and a judge. You’ll also have access to fun emoji objects like an otter, ringed planet, beverage box, and pinching hand.

Fleksy

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If you want to add a bit more fun and animation to your typing, Fleksy could be the keyboard that you’ve been looking for. Fleksy is compatible with a wide variety of extensions, letting you quickly add new features as necessary. Maybe the most remarkable thing about Fleksy is how simple it is to get to your emoji. You can browse through dozens of emoji in each section and change categories with a quick tap at the bottom of the keyboard.

Just like many keyboards, you can also establish a variety of attractive themes. Updated versions include features like Next Word Prediction, prepared in 28 languages, and Emoji Prediction so you can inspect the suggested emoji in regards to your conversation’s context.

Go Keyboard

Go Keyboard is a personalizable keyboard that permits you to put emoji, emoticons, stickers, and GIFs in noticeable areas. The app converts text into emoji and emoticons, and you can pick from over 1,000 emoji and stickers, plus over 10, 000 different themes. It supports over 60 other languages, too. If that’s not enough to impress you, you can also type with gestures and various fonts, as well as individualize your keyboard with your own personal photo theme. The Fancy Font feature gives you the opportunity to select your preferred keyboard font.

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Best Linux desktop of 2024

By admin March 26, 2024

The best Linux desktops provide a simple way to find your perfect Linux desktop environment. The thought of a desktop environment as a separate entity from the operating system sounds foreign to most mainstream users coming from Windows or Mac OS.

But that’s just another example of the dexterity of Linux. For all intents and purposes, a desktop environment is just another piece of software, albeit an expansive and complicated one. At the end of the day you can install it just as you would any other piece of software.

Moreover, many desktop developers ensure you can easily drape their creations over your existing installation. Besides the mainstream ones like Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon, Mate, Xfce, LXDE that come pre-installed with one of the mainstream distros, here are some of the interesting ones that you might not have heard about.

We’ve analyzed these Linux desktops on various points, like how resource-intensive they are, their hardware requirements, customizability, and the out-of-box experience. We also considered the design and visual appeal — whether it was beautiful with interesting animations or sleek and minimalistic.

Best for customization

(Image credit: Github)

Developed and used by the Solus distro, the Budgie desktop is written from scratch using components from the Gnome stack.

The highlight of the desktop is its unified notification and customization center called Raven, which also gives you quick access to the calendar, media player controls, system settings and power options. All the elements on the desktop, such as the applications menu, are implemented as applets.

Budgie is easy to customize and extend and offers enough options to help you mold it as you want. For example, by default Budgie doesn’t show icons on the desktop and has only one workspace, but both of these behaviors can be overridden easily from the Budgie Desktop Settings app.

The developers have refined some of the essential elements of the desktop, which includes the Budgie Menu, which now sorts category names alphabetically, and the Icon Tasklist applet that has several new features and behavior refinements.

Several distros, including Ubuntu and Manjaro have spins based on Budgie and Fedora users can fetch it from the COPR repo.

Best for usability

(Image credit: Deepin)

2. Deepin DE

Best Linux desktop that’s aesthetically pleasing

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Configurability

Responsive

Host of native apps

Reasons to avoid

–

Not highly customizable

The Deepin desktop is part of the Deepin distro. It’s based on HTML5 and WebKit and uses a mix of QML and Go for its various components.

Besides the desktop itself, notable homebrewed Deepin components include the application launcher, dock and control center. All of Deepin’s tweakable parameters are accessible via a hidden panel that folds into the desktop itself.

The Deepin desktop tries to replicate the usability and aesthetics of Mac OS X, and has a clean and clutter-free interface with nothing except the dock at the bottom of the screen. The desktop now also supports touch-screen gestures. The desktop has configurable hot corners that by default allow you to access the applications menu and the control panel using which you can manage all aspects of the desktop.

The desktop isn’t officially supported by many distros, but several have community-supported spins and you can fetch the desktop via third-party repositories for your installation.

Best Linux desktop of 2024

Also Read : 12 Best Linux Distros You Should Use

Best lightweight

(Image credit: Enlightenment)

3. Enlightenment

Best Linux desktop that’s lightweight and beautiful

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Animated actions

Lightweight

Tweakability

Reasons to avoid

–

Doesn’t ship with many apps

Enlightenment is a rather unusual desktop environment. It is in fact more of a window manager as it lacks taskbars, panels and even menus. Yet, unlike many lightweight environments, the Enlightenment desktop is full of eye-candy that you’d expect from a full-blown environment, at a fraction of the resources.

There are subtle animations tucked in almost every element of the desktop, from the menus to the various desktop widgets. The desktop has a first boot wizard that enables you to select various aspects of the desktop that define its behavior and appearance. For example, you get an option to select the text size in the windows, which is a really useful feature and even more so if you’re running Enlightenment on a high DPI display.

The desktop also offers plenty of modules and configuration options to keep you busy without overwhelming new users. However, you’ll have to put some time to set it up as per your liking. Configuring the desktop requires patience and willingness to try the different options and learn what each does. You can find Enlightenment in the official repositories of all major distros.

Best for old PCs

(Image credit: LXQt)

The LXQt desktop environment is a combination of the GTK-based lightweight desktop LXDE and Razor-Qt, which was an equally lightweight, but far less mature, desktop that used the Qt toolkit. Thanks to this combination, LXQt manages to pull off the look and feel of a modern desktop without being a drain on resources.

The desktop will feel at home on a modern machine, but is still light enough to push an out-of-commission computer back into active duty. It adheres to the old but familiar desktop metaphor, with a status bar laden with icons at the bottom of the screen. The applications menu features the traditional categorized list of apps as well as a search box to help launch apps.

LXQt offers a decent number of tweakable options that help customize the most commonly used aspects of the desktop. The desktop uses modules, which are essentially desktop-independent tools for desktop specific operations, and its panel also supports plug-ins. You can find LXQt in the repositories of virtually all distros.

Best for macOS users

(Image credit: Pantheon)

5. Pantheon

Best Linux desktop for migrating macOS users

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Animated actions

Minimalist

Keyboard shortcuts

Reasons to avoid

–

Lacking customizability

The Pantheon desktop from Elementary OS is another minimalist but stylish desktop that has created a name for itself as an elegant and user-friendly desktop environment.

The desktop uses its own Mutter-based window manager called Gala and takes cues from the Mac OS X desktop for a pleasant user experience. The desktop nicely integrates the various elements, such as the Plank dock, the top panel (called Wingpanel) and the Slingshot application launcher.

Nearly all actions on the desktop are subtly animated, but the desktop manages to strike a balance between form and function. You can use the Pantheon Tweaks tool to customize the desktop. Once it’s installed, you can use the tool to change the appearance of the desktop, set fonts, control the animations and more.

Many of the default apps that ship with Pantheon, such as the Calendar app, the Code text editor are written from scratch, to blend in with the rest of the desktop. Keyboard warriors can also access virtually all aspects of the desktop without using the mouse.

Pantheon isn’t officially supported on any other distro, but can be installed atop Arch, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and Fedora.

Best Linux distro for Windows users of 2024

The best Linux distros for Windows users can make it simple and easy to switch from Windows to Linux systems.

It can be an inundating experience, especially for people coming from proprietary operating systems like Windows. Linux distributions, thanks to their open source nature, offer a lot more access than their closed source cousins, which makes the transition particularly difficult for many users.

This is where these specialized distros, designed for Windows users, come into the picture. Their objective is to allow users to experience the goodness of Linux while minimizing the learning curve that’s associated when switching to a different operating system. They all take various steps to ensure that the transition is as effortless as possible.

We’ve tested numerous Linux distros to find the best ones for Windows users. We looked at how user-friendly they were, the hardware requirements, the ease of installation, and the overall out-of-box experience. We also considered the distro’s learning curve and the desktop environment, among other aspects.

Best Debian distro

1. Deepin Linux

Best Debian distro for Windows users

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Home-brewed desktop

Helpful first-boot wizard

Touch-friendly interface

Reasons to avoid

–

Slow installer

Deepin Linux is a Debian-based distro that’s known for its aesthetically pleasing custom desktop environment called DDE. Together with several home-brewed apps, the distro is designed to ease new users into the Linux desktop.

Deepin comes in both a stable and experimental version. The “stable” version (currently 20.8) is based on the stable version of Debian at the time of release (in this case Debian 10 “Buster”).

The experimental version (current V23) is designed for “non-production environments”. In other words it’s better for personal use rather than anything critical. The latest experimental build is visually very rich with a “flow design” and added widgets so closely resembles Windows 11.

Deepin uses a first-boot configurator app to help you tweak the look and feel of your installation by changing icons, enabling window effects and more. These are classified into two broad categories and you can use either depending on the number of available resources on your computer.

On lower-end machines, you can run the installation in Efficient mode to make the best use of the limited resources, while on newer ones you can use the Fashion mode to turn up the bling. The amount of customizations in DDE are quite diverse and extend from the main desktop area to the notification management.

There’s a Deepin custom app for conducting the majority of common desktop tasks, such as watching films, listening to music, viewing images, taking backups, recording screencasts, and about a dozen more.

The other custom Deepin app that deserves a special mention is the App Store. It makes it fairly easy to discover and install news apps, which will be appreciated by new users not familiar to the Linux app ecosystem. Also, listed besides the usual categories of apps is the Uninstall section that can help you get rid of any installed apps using a more familiar parlance.

Best Ubuntu distro

2. elementary OS

Best Ubuntu distro for Windows users

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Aesthetic desktop

Picture-in-picture mode

Custom apps

Support for Flatpaks

Reasons to avoid

–

Doesn’t support 32-bit architecture

Elementary OS is based on Ubuntu. There are new releases every 1-2 years each of which are named after a different god. For instance, the most recent version (7.0) is codenamed “Horus”.

This isn’t all that’s divine about this OS. It has made a name for itself for crafting a very usable and aesthetically pleasing desktop distro. Everything from its pre-installed apps to its home brewed desktop is designed to give a comforting experience to users new to Linux.

Its custom-built Pantheon desktop, is a pleasing aesthetic take on the classical desktop metaphor. One of its distinguishing features is the picture-in-picture mode that enables you to select an area of a window or the desktop, and then pops it out. This pop-out is movable, resizable, always-on-top, and can move across workspaces

The distro comes with a carefully pruned collection of pre-installed apps that’s been assembled to make the desktop experience more consistent and appealing to new Linux users. In fact, many of its most-used pre-installed apps have functional names like Mail, Music, Photos and Videos, which makes them easier to discover.

The distro also has an onboarding app to help new users set up their installation. elementary OS also uses its own App Center. The latest version emphasizes app screenshots, as well as providing more information about the developer and how actively packages are maintained. Installation is via Flatpaks so it’s very easy to toggle automatic app updates too. It takes a similar approach to system settings with its custom app that exposes the bare essentials instead of throwing an endless stream of toggles and switches.

Best unique distro

Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu. It’s specifically designed to work “out of the box”. The two main flavors use the MATE (pictured) and Cinammon desktop environments. The layout is familiar for Windows users with a taskbar and configurable menus on the bottom.

This distro emphasizes compatibility with restricted/proprietary formats. Out of the box it can edit Microsoft Office documents via the LibreOffice suite. With one click of your mouse you can also “Install Multimedia Codecs” to play all kinds of audio/video files.

You can also use the Software Manager to install more programs. Linux Mint has its own repositories but can also access Ubuntu’s. There are around 30,000 packages available overall, so it’s likely you can find a good equivalent to Windows apps.

The latest version of Linux Mint 21.1 (Codename “Vera) is based on Ubuntu 22.04. This is a LTS (Long Term Support) release so updates will be available until April 2027.

Best for older machines

4. Zorin OS

Best Linux distro for Windows users with older machines

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Reasons to buy

Look changer app

Several free editions

Useful documentation

Reasons to avoid

–

Official tech support isn’t great

At first glance, Zorin OS comes off as just another Ubuntu-based distro. However, what makes it unique is the home-brewed Zorin Appearance app that tweaks the desktop environment to make it resemble Windows in both form and function.

Pitched as a distro for first-time Linux users, Zorin is designed to appeal to users coming from popular proprietary operating systems, namely Windows and macOS.

The GUI is Windows-like with a menu that opens from the bottom left of the desktop and a task bar. You can use the launch menu to install “Windows App Support” to run your favorite Windows apps through the ‘Wine’ compatibility player of ‘PlayonLinux’. The preinstalled LibreOffice suite can also open Microsoft Office documents.

Zorin is available in four different versions: the Core, Lite, and Education editions are free, while the Pro version costs $39. The Core edition is the standard edition that includes all the apps you’d find in a normal desktop Linux distribution, while the Lite edition is designed for older machines. The paid Pro version comes with support and a few extra features, such as the option of using interfaces that mimic macOS, classic Windows and Windows 11. It’s also chock-full of all kinds of apps like advanced video and photo editors.

The distro is complimented by a useful selection of documentation that’s again written for users migrating from proprietary desktops and aren’t used to the Linux way of doing things. All things considered, we’d advise you to use the Lite edition to take Zorin for a spin. This uses the Xfce desktop, so the layout is more familiar to Windows users. You can then switch to the Ultimate edition to experience the full potential of the distro.

Best for ease-of-use

5. Ubuntu

Best Linux distros for Windows users that’s easy to use

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Very accessible for novices

Security and stability of LTS version

Lubuntu spin is great for underpowered PCs

Reasons to avoid

–

Some flavors heavy on resources

Ubuntu is one of the most popular flavors of Linux and is strongly recommended for Linux newbies, as it’s extremely accessible. That’s why we’ve already featured two variations of Ubuntu in this guide, but it’s worth considering the main Ubuntu release itself.

New versions of Ubuntu are released every six months, and every other year the developer Canonical releases an LTS (long term support) version of Ubuntu. These guarantee five years of security and general maintenance updates, so you can carry on using your machine without the hassle of running a full upgrade every few months. Standard releases are supported for one year only.

The current LTS version of Ubuntu uses the Gnome desktop environment, which may be less unfamiliar to Windows and macOS users.

The good news is that Ubuntu is available in a variety of flavors. The “Lubuntu” OS uses the LXQt desktop environment. This will feel comfortable for Windows users, as you can access the menu and minimize windows just as before. Both the desktop and apps that come bundled with Lubuntu are designed to be lightweight, making it perfect for older machines.

As of version 23.04, Ubuntu now officially supports the ‘Cinnamon’ desktop (pictured). This has a similar look and feel to Windows but uses much richer graphics. Naturally, you’ll need a more recent PC to make use of all its features.

Ubuntu has also become increasingly integral with cloud computing services, making it not just a good distro for easing beginners into Linux, but also one for those looking to develop their long-term business IT skills.

Linux distros for Windows users FAQs

How to choose the best Linux distros for Windows users for you?

With the best Linux distro for Windows users, you’ll enjoy a smooth transition from Windows to Linux. But you’ll have to look at many factors before selecting the right distro for yourself.

For starters, check whether your hardware can run the distro, mainly because not all distros run on 32-bit architecture. You’ll want a lightweight distro that’ll run without lagging if you’re on older hardware. It always helps if the distro has plenty of documentation available and an active forum where you can seek help. Also, check out the distro’s desktop environment to see if it’s to your liking, in terms of visuals, functions, and customizability.

The best Linux distros for Windows users: How we test

We analyzed various aspects of different distros to find the best Linux distros for Windows users. We looked at how resource-intensive the distros were, what kind of hardware they’d run on smoothly, the documentation available, and the out-of-box experience. We considered the installation time and the additional apps that came with the distro.

We evaluated the desktop environment based on the visuals, functionality, and customizability. We also checked out the online forums to see if there was an active community that could help with doubts.

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The best dash cams you can buy 2024

By admin March 24, 2024

Dash cams record footage of accidents, road rage incidents, and more. The best dash cams not only offer high resolution recording and cloud-based storage, but many can also record both the road and your car‘s interior for more context in case of an accident.

Since you can’t keep track of everything all at once while driving, a quality dash cam can be a valuable tool for new and experienced drivers. By recording the road in front of your vehicle, a dash cam can provide important information for authorities and insurance companies in the event of an accident or collision.

Some models also record the interior of a car to monitor distractions and driving habits, making them great for parents of teen drivers or caretakers of elderly family members. Others include a second camera unit for mounting on the back of a vehicle to give you almost 360 degrees of recording. Many dash cams also use night vision to record at night and motion detection to automatically record movement and activity while your car is parked.

What is the best dash cam right now?

I chose the Vantrue N2 Pro as the best dash cam you can buy right now for its support of high-capacity microSD cards for more video storage, inclusion of a front and rear camera, and up to 1440p recording resolution. You can keep reading below to find out more about the Vantrue N2 Pro as well as my other picks for the best dash cameras.

Best dash cams of 2024

Vantrue N2 Pro

Best dash cam overall

The Vantrue N2 Pro is an excellent dash cam for new drivers as well as drivers looking to upgrade their current dash cam setup. It features a front-facing camera and an interior-facing camera, so you can record both the road and passengers as you drive. The front camera captures video in 1440p resolution at 30 frames per second, while the interior camera records in 1080p at 60 frames per second. You also can change the front camera to 1080p/60fps for smoother playback at faster driving speeds.

For power, you can either use the included 12V adapter or purchase a hardwire kit to connect the camera to your car’s battery for nearly unlimited runtime. The front camera uses infrared night vision to capture clearer images in the dark and even has a 24-hour parking mode, which uses motion detection to only capture footage when something moves near the car.

It supports microSD cards up to 256GB for storing videos, and the camera records in loops, so you never have to worry about offloading old videos. The camera will automatically overwrite old videos when the card is full. The built-in G sensor automatically detects when a crash or other accident happens and stores relevant video for later viewing. There’s also an optional GPS unit you can buy for accurate location tracking to help emergency services get to you faster in the event of an accident.

Verified customer reviews on Amazon agree that the night vision feature of the Vantrue N2 Pro does a great job of letting you see pedestrians, animals, and road hazards in the dark. They also agree that the system is easy to set up.

Nexar Beam

Best dash cam under $175

If you’re looking for a dependable dash cam that won’t break the bank, the Nexar Beam is an excellent option. This dash cam retails for less than $175, while still giving you awesome features like motion detection recording.

The front-facing camera captures video in 1080p for clear images, and the included 32GB microSD card can store up to 4 hours of dash cam footage. You also get unlimited free cloud backup storage for video, so you can have them on hand for insurance purposes if needed. And no need to worry about offloading video on a regular basis — the Nexar Beam automatically loops and overwrites old video when the card is full.

With the companion smartphone app, you can set up automatic updates for the camera so it’s always ready to go. You also can use the app to create detailed collision reports, complete with G force, speed, and location information as well as related videos.

If you forget where you parked your car or if it gets stolen, the app provides detailed location info so you can get your vehicle back safely. It even sends out SOS messages to emergency contacts in the event of a crash so that you can get help faster. The best part? There’s no monthly subscription fee.

The cost of the dash cam covers your lifetime usage of the app and its features. ZDNET’s own Eileen Brown got to go hands-on with the Nexar Beam, and loved the companion app for being easy to connect to the camera and customize features. And verified customer reviews agree with her, noting that the companion app allows you to create a cloud backup for recordings (for a fee).

Garmin Mini 2

Best dash cam for memory

If you drive a commercial truck or for a ridesharing service, you need a dash cam that can store dozens of hours of video, since you may not have reliable or frequent access to a computer to offload footage.

The Garmin Mini 2 supports microSD cards up to 512GB, which allows your dash cam to store almost 31 hours of 1080p video. The large capacity makes it great for road trips, long-haul trucking, and full-time rideshare drivers. The camera is also incredibly compact, measuring just 2 x 1 x 1 inches, so it won’t obstruct your view while you’re driving.

The Garmin Mini 2 uses built-in voice controls for hands-free use, so you can start and stop the dash cam record while driving without taking your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road. You also can remotely access the dash cam with your smartphone for live video streaming, allowing you to check on your vehicle while it’s parked. In parking mode, the camera uses motion detection to automatically start recording when it senses movement.

Vantrue N4

Best multi-view dash cam

With three different cameras, the Vantrue N4 allows you to get almost 360 degrees of video coverage for your car while you drive. The main camera records the road in front of your vehicle as well as the interior, while the second camera can be mounted on the back of your car to record behind you.

When used by itself, the front-facing camera can record up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second for smooth playback. And when used with the other two cameras, it still records in 1440p while the interior and rear cameras record in 1080p.All three cameras are equipped with night vision for recording in the dark as well as motion detectors for capturing video when motion is sensed around the parked car. The built-in G sensor automatically detects when you’ve been in an accident or when something hits your parked car, saving recordings for evidence.

The Vantrue N4 supports microSD cards up to 256GB, allowing you to record up to 15 hours of video in 1440p. The camera automatically overwrites the oldest file on the card for loop recording, so you don’t have to worry about clearing out the microSD card. An optional GPS unit is also available to buy, which lets the camera record routes and location information. That can be helpful for parents of new teen drivers as well as family members who want to ensure senior family members are protected on the road.

Nextbase 622GW

Best dash cam with GPS tracking

Being able to give emergency services a precise location in the event of an accident or crash can make all the difference. The Nextbase 622GW is designed to provide video footage of your driving while pinpointing your location. It features integration with What3Words, an app that permanently assigns three random words to every 3-meter square of maps. These words then translate into real-world locations, allowing you to let emergency responders know exactly where you are, even if you don’t have a street address.

The front-facing camera features a polarizing filter to help reduce glare and washout from bright sunlight. It is capable of recording video in up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, though you also can record in 1400p at up to 60fps and in 1080p at up to 120fps for smooth playback even in high-speed-driving videos. You can use the slo-mo function to analyze footage frame by frame, while the built-in image stabilizer reduces picture sway for clearer frames.

With the camera’s night vision and motion detection, you can record at night and when your car is parked. The dash cam connects to your smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to automatically sync and store your video recordings. The built-in Alexa functionality gives you hands-free control and the ability to hear the news, weather, and your favorite music without taking your eyes off the road.

What is the best dash cam?

My pick for the best dash cam is the Vantrue N2 Pro. Not only does it record what’s on the road in front of you, but it also has a second lens for recording the interior of the car, which is helpful if your car is ever broken into or stolen. Parents of new drivers can assess their teens’ levels of distractions and dangerous driving habits.

It even has infrared night vision and motion detection to capture images in the dark and conserve battery life. It records in 1440p resolution at 30 frames per second for clean, crisp images. You can also switch to 1080p for a higher frame rate while you’re driving.

Best dash cam	Best Price	Resolution	Storage
Vantrue N2 Pro	$135	1440p	Up to 256GB
Nexar Beam	$170	1080p	Up to 256GB
Garmin Mini 2	$110	1080p	Up to 512GB
Vantrue N4	$205	4K	Up to 256GB
Nextbase 622GW	$260	4K	Up to 256GB

*Best price at time of writing. Please note that actual retail price may vary depending on the seller as well as available deals and active promotions.

Which is the right dash cam for you?

The best dash cam for you depends on what you want to record and for how long. There are many dash cams on the market that record the road in front of your car, which is great for providing evidence in case of crashes and accidents.

Others also can record the interior of your car, which is perfect for parents of teen drivers who want to keep tabs on their distractions and dangerous behaviors. Some dash cams come with a second camera that you can mount in the rear window of your car to record vehicles and the road behind you.

If you want to keep your car monitored while it’s parked or while you’re driving at night, you’ll want to opt for a model with motion detection recording and night vision for clearer images in dim light and to conserve battery while idle. You’ll also want to choose a dash cam with a high storage capacity so you can properly store several days or weeks’ worth of video.

Some dash cams also require professional installation, since they connect to your car’s battery, computer, and electrical systems to function. While these can be quite expensive on top of installation costs, they’re a good option if you don’t plan on switching vehicles or don’t want to mess with recharging batteries.

Choose this dash cam…	If you need…
Vantrue N2 Pro	An affordable and well-rounded dash cam for front and interior recording.
Nexar Beam	A very affordable dash cam with cloud storage, SOS messaging after crashes, and good resolution.
Garmin Mini 2	A name-brand dash cam with high-capacity storage, a compact design, and voice controls.
Vantrue N4	A dash cam kit for recording multiple viewpoints with 4K resolution, night vision, and motion detection.
Nextbase 622GW	A high-end dash cam with voice controls, 4K resolution, and GPS tracking.

What should I look for in a dash cam?

Whether it’s your first dash camera or an upgrade for your current setup, here are a few features to keep in mind as you shop:

• Price: Staying within your budget is important, not only to be nice to your wallet, but to ensure that you aren’t paying for features you aren’t going to use, or making up in frustration what you’ve saved in cash.

• Recording set up: Many dash cams are made to only record the road in front of the vehicle. But there are models that also record the interior of your vehicle or include a second camera to use as a backup camera or for traffic recording.

• Smart features: Many dash cams work with companion apps for smartphones and tablets which give you access to saved recordings, expanded cloud storage, and enhanced settings like motion detection and night vision.

How did we choose these best dash cams?

While testing and researching each dash cam featured on this list, I and other ZDNET experts kept these criteria in mind:

• Set up: Some dash cams require you to hardwire them into your vehicle’s electrical system for a continuous source of power, while others have built-in rechargeable batteries. We included several types on this list to suit both newcomers and dash cam experts.

• Expandable memory: Whether you opt for expandable internal storage via microSD cards or cloud storage backup, each dash cam on this best list has been ensured to support various memory capacities for recording video and still photos.

• Video resolution: Having a dash cam doesn’t make much of a difference if you can’t tell what was recorded. Each dash cam on this list has been vetted to have a minimum recording resolution of 1080p HD.

Do dash cameras work when the car is off?

Absolutely! Whether it uses your car’s battery or its own rechargeable one, your dash cam will be able to record as long as it has access to a reliable source of power.

I recommend using a dash cam with motion detection if you’re planning to hook it up to your car battery, so it won’t get depleted overnight. And you won’t have to worry about your dash cam depleting your vehicle’s battery, as it doesn’t require much power.

You can also avoid this altogether by buying a dedicated battery pack for your dash cam. These also charge when your vehicle is in motion.

How long do dash cameras keep footage?

It mostly depends on how much storage space you have. A 32GB SD card can store about four hours of 1080p footage before it needs to be overwritten, whereas a 512GB SD card can store up to 24 hours of 1080p video.

If your dash cam is capable of cloud storage, you can have almost unlimited video storage, since it will upload data to the cloud server to make room for local recording. However, as you go up in resolution, your storage can handle less footage. A 32GB card will only hold about 30 minutes of 4K video, and a 512GB one will hold close to four hours.

That’s why it’s best to have a dash cam with cloud storage. It also comes in handy if you’re involved in an accident and the device incurs damage.

How big should my dash cam SD card be?

If you only plan to use your dash cam while you’re driving, a smaller SD card will be just fine. A 32GB SD card can hold up to four hours of 1080p video, giving you plenty of storage space for typical commutes or shorter road trips.

If you want to be able to record video overnight, you may want to invest in a 128 or 256GB SD card to make sure you have enough space.

Are dash cams worth the money?

Yes, they are worth the money. If you’re involved in an accident, dash cams can provide a video recording of what happened, which can absolve you of responsibility if the incident was caused by another driver.

On that principle alone, it can save you money relative to repair fees and injuries incurred by other parties. It can also keep you from receiving points on your driver’s license. If it shows you’re not at fault for the accident, it can prevent your car insurance premium from skyrocketing.

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Best gaming TVs of 2024

By admin March 20, 2024

Best gaming TVs of 2024 for Xbox Series X, PS5, and more Playing video games is one of the world’s greatest forms of entertainment. They’re visually and narratively immersive, full of action, and not to mention just an excellent way to blow off steam. But no PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or gaming PC is complete without a top-notch TV to take gameplay to the next level. But let’s be clear: Not just any TV is going to deliver the type of gaming experience you deserve.

You’ll want to make sure your TV is optimized for online and offline gaming. Ultra HD resolution and a 120Hz native refresh rate are good specs to start, but you’ll also want to look for TVs with gameplay optimizations, such as HDR, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support.

We know how tricky shopping for a new TV can be, so we’ve put together this roundup of the best gaming TVs for 2024 to guide you on your quest for gold.

TCL Q6 Series QLED

Best budget gaming TV

The TCL Q6 Series is the bottom rung on TCL’s flagship ladder (with the Q7 and QM8 representing the higher rungs). In terms of HDMI inputs, you’ll be working with three 2.0 ports. All three of these inputs also support VRR, but the real win with the Q6 is the set’s incredibly low input lag. This is particularly relevant for competitive gamers who can’t miss a beat during an online match.

The Q6 Series also does a great job at handling both HDR and SDR performance. The former delivers gameplay imagery that is nice and vibrant, while the latter amps up the peak brightness even more. If you’re going to be doing a majority of your gaming in a well-lit room, it’s important that your TV can get bright enough to beat the sunlight and whatever ambient fixtures are contributing luminance. Fortunately, the Q6 also happens to have good reflection handling, so even if the screen is a little on the dark side, you shouldn’t see much in the way of glare.

One thing that’s missing on the Q6 Series though is local dimming, and the set’s native refresh rate is only 60Hz. While TCL attempts to counter this with the Game Accelerator 120 (picture processing that makes 60Hz look more like 120Hz), the TV’s overall response time still takes a hit because of this.

But if you’re looking to save a few bucks on your TV purchase, and want a gaming set that satisfies several must-haves for offline and online gameplay, the TCL Q6 Series should definitely be a consideration.

Best gaming TVs of 2024

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Hisense U6K Mini-LED

Another great budget gaming TV

The Hisense U6K may not be as colorful or bright as the brand’s higher-priced U7K and flagship U8K models, but when it comes to cost-friendly TVs that can deliver a great gaming experience, the Hisense U6K checks all the boxes. But what are the best gaming features of this TV, you may be asking?

The biggest wins (at least in our book) are the U6K’s fantastic contrast, VRR support, and solid response time. When Game Mode is enabled, the preset prioritizes motion above all else, delivering a very smooth-looking picture and low input lag. And because the U6K is also good at dealing with bright rooms, you won’t have to worry about reflection handling during the sunnier parts of the day.

Unfortunately, when you’re using Game Mode, you can’t have VRR and local dimming running at the same time. This means you’ll have to make a choice between near-instantaneous motion performance or brightness and contrast accuracy. And considering the TV only supports HDMI 2.0, and has some trouble with response time during darker gameplay scenes, this could be a tough call to make.

None of the above is enough to disqualify the Hisense U6K though. Available in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes, and with prices starting around $400, this Hisense QLED still punches well above its weight class.

Sony XR X93L Mini-LED

Best midrange gaming TV

We’re suckers for a solid mini-LED TV, so when we were putting this list together, one of the first entries we knew we’d include was the Sony XR X93L. Sold in 65-, 75-, and 85-inch sizes, one of the chief benefits of mini-LED lighting is that these types of TVs typically have more local dimming zones. And because these screens can get exceptionally bright, you want the kind of lightning-fast dimming that can keep up with big blasts of light.

Luckily, the X93L is a decorated champ when it comes to mini-LED lighting and local dimming, which also makes it an awesome TV for gaming. Now you’ll definitely be able to hook up your Xbox Series X/S or Nintendo Switch to the X93L, and both the picture quality and motion clarity should be extremely good. But because this is a Sony TV, the Sony-produced Playstation 5 receives some extra gaming perks you won’t get on other consoles.

One of these features is called Auto HDR Tone Mapping, which optimizes the PS5’s HDR capabilities when you’re first setting it up with the X93L. Then there’s Auto Genre Picture Mode, which automatically changes the picture preset to Game Mode when you’re playing video games, and switches back to the Standard setting when you power the console down.

The Sony XR X93L is also equipped with HDMI 2.1 ports, supports VRR, and has extremely low input lag and response time during gameplay.

LG C3 OLED

Another excellent midrange gaming TV

When it comes to OLED TVs, LG has made quite the name for itself over the last several years. This is to the point where companies like Samsung are buying its OLED TV screens directly from LG Display. If we made our own OLEDs, we’d probably do the same.

As far as gaming goes, we’re more than glad to call the LG C3 one of our go-to models in the upper midrange category. For a couple of years now, LG has been developing and implementing brighter OLED screens (called Evo panels) on many of its higher-end models, along with a feature called Brightness Booster that adds extra peak and color brightness all around. When you combine this enhanced illumination with the already-astonishing color gamut and inky blacks of an LG OLED, you’re left with a stunning picture that is perfect for console and PC gaming.

With HDMI 2.1 support across all four of the C3’s inputs, we expect big things when it comes to lag, response time, and overall motion handling. Thankfully, LG more than delivers on all these fronts, and the addition of an automated Game Mode optimizes the colors and contrast for whatever you’re playing even further.

Admittedly, your overall HDR brightness takes a bit of a hit when Game Mode is engaged. But the C3 is also no straggler when it comes to reflection handling, so even if you’re dealing with some extra sunlight, the rays shouldn’t affect your gameplay experience too drastically.

Samsung S95C OLED

Best premium-level gaming TV

Welcome to the world of flagship gaming TVs, where the prices may be high, but the picture and performance is literally impossible to beat. We have two contenders in this final category, and the first on our list is a premium powerhouse known as the Samsung S95C OLED.

Have you ever heard of QD-OLED TVs? This is a relatively new display tech that you can find from brands like Samsung and Sony, although both companies seem to be doing away with the “QD” portion of the moniker these days. Regardless, the acronym stands for “Quantum Dot-Organic Light Emitting Diode.”

The Samsung S95C just so happens to be a QD-OLED, and is equipped with not only a full layer of quantum dots for enhanced brightness and colors, but also uses an OLED panel with millions of self-emissive pixels that can be toggled on or off in an instant. That’s on top of Samsung’s Neural Quantum Processor 4K that automatically upscales and calibrates picture quality on a frame-by-frame basis. But what about pure gaming tech, you may be asking?

Well friends, each of the S95C’s four HDMI inputs are 2.1 certified, meaning you’ll be able to enjoy Playstation, Xbox, and PC gaming in full 4K HDR at up to 120Hz, and up to 144Hz for compatible PCs. And thanks to ultra-low input lag and response time, the S95C delivers blistering-fast motion without devolving into blurry images. And while we wish the TV supported Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HDR10+ gameplay looks terrific.

Sony XR A95L QD-OLED

Another great premium-level gaming TV

Our other top pick for gaming TVs in 2023 has to go to the godlike Sony XR A95L. Available in 55, 65, and 77-inch sizes, this is another QD-OLED set that employs quantum dots and self-emissive pixels, with a healthy dash of Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR thrown in for some of the best picture processing and upscaling in town.

As you can guess from our writeup on the Samsung S95C, the QD-OLED results are simply amazing. We’re talking incredible peak brightness levels, rich colors, unbelievable contrast, and lightning-fast motion handling for the A95L. But beyond the flagship features that we most certainly expect from a TV that starts pricing at $2,800, what impeccable gaming tech can we anticipate from this bad boy?

Well for starters, like the midrange Sony XR X93L, the A95L model is optimized for Playstation 5 gameplay. Two of the TV’s four HDMI inputs are 2.1 certified, with support for 4K at up to 120Hz. To further buttress the motion handling, the A95L also includes support for VRR and ALLM, ensuring you’ll experience as little lag as possible when playing online or offline.

But perhaps our favorite A95L gaming feature is the set’s Auto HDR Tone Mapping. This is a feature you’ll enable during the initial setup of your PS5 with the A95L. Once activated, all of your gameplay visuals will receive full HDR treatment (as long as the actual game is available in HDR), giving you the best brightness, colors, and contrast, regardless of the genre.

The Sony XR A95L also supports Multi-View, which lets you game on one part of the TV screen, while the second half of the screen can be used to stream a movie or show from apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. And like many of the models in this roundup, the A95L comes with a gaming dashboard that lets you adjust things like motion clarity and picture presets without having to go into the TV’s main settings menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

How we choose the best gaming TVs

Before we sign off, we thought we’d go over how we’ve come up with these entries, and what’s important to us when selecting a gaming TV.

The first thing we look for is low input lag. Because if there’s too much delay between the action of your thumbs and the action on screen, well, that’s just a frustration nobody needs. Plus, it can be a huge disadvantage in competitive gameplay, where a few milliseconds literally can be the difference between a win or a loss.

Next, we look for solid picture quality in the TV’s “game mode” preset, which is what you’ll want to use for the lowest input lag. The picture quality doesn’t have to be videophile-grade awesome, but it can’t be trash, either. Today’s game graphics are gorgeous, and you deserve all that gorgeousness, so we seek to find the best balance between low input lag and awesome picture.

Then we need to see great motion resolution. We don’t have to have 120Hz native panels for good motion resolution. A 60Hz TV can look good, but, not all of them do, so we want to make sure we see as little blurring and stutter as possible for the best clarity during fast-moving gameplay.

But since we mentioned 120Hz, that definitely is nice to have, along with some other advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR), auto-game mode, Dolby Vision gaming, and maybe even up to a 144Hz refresh rate in some cases. We also want to make sure that these TVs do a nice job at displaying both HDR and SDR gaming content.

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