StarCraft general manager says the shift to open-world shooter came about because 'Every time we drew a picture or every time we talked about' the game 'it was boots on the ground every time'

• StarCraft is making a shift from the real-time strategy genre to the open-world shooter genre
• The development team realised during early discussions that "we weren't talking about a game from above"
• According to StarCraft general manager Dan Hay, "it was boots on the ground every time" when the team was talking about the game

The process of StarCraft shifting from real-time strategy to open-world shooter emerged naturally from repeated team discussions about "the story we wanted to tell," as well as in-game moments, armor, exploration, discovery, and the desire to experience the world from ground level, according to the game's general manager, Dan Hay.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon 2026 in Anaheim, Hay went on to describe the process that will see the series' perspective change entirely in the next StarCraft game: "Every time we drew a picture or every time we talked about it, it was boots on the ground every time."

These conversations then snowballed, gathering up other game features and elements, it seems, which kept the direction of travel going towards taking StarCraft into being a shooter. "We started to talk about perspective and how that's going to work; we started to talk about the armor, and we started to talk about what could attack that armor and how it could rip it apart if it needed to.

"We would talk about things with the characters [too], and we started to very quickly realize we weren't talking about a game from above; we were talking about a game down on the ground where you felt every inch of the game," described Hay.

He added, giving a nod to the narrative in store for players when StarCraft releases, that it was obvious that the game would be "down on the ground, and that just made sense for the story."

But as well as changing the player's perspective from looking down to looking out and around, the team looked at this change for the series to embrace the open-world exploration and discovery aspects of the upcoming game.

"[We wanted to] make sure that there is an opportunity to explore. Make sure that there's an opportunity to discover. See a thing off in the distance and go — 'is that something that I saw from the first game? Is it?' And then head off to it."

StarCraft was teased with a cinematic trailer at BlizzCon 2026 and is slated to release in 2030.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, September 14 (game #925)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, September 13 (game #924).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #925) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… OH MY GOSH!!

NYT Strands today (game #925) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• DUCK
• LICE
• SHUCK
• TART
• DAZE
• FRESH

NYT Strands today (game #925) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #925) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: top, 1st column

• Last side: bottom, 6th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #925) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #925, are…

• EXCLAIM
• START
• GASP
• RECOIL
• FREEZE
• SHUDDER
• SPANGRAM: THATSSHOCKING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

It’s brilliant how the exclamation OH MY GOSH!! has had a second life in recent years after being consigned to the pages of dusty children’s adventures for decades, alongside “fiddlesticks” and “darn”.

The phrase actually dates back to the 18th century — the word gosh has no meaning at all beyond being an altered version of “god”.

Here, though, it was our clue to a pleasing game of Stands searching and for me my first 'spangram first' in months — gosh darn it I’m as jolly as a bumblebee in a buttercup.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, September 13, game #924)

• MOLE
• AGENT
• ASSET
• PLANT
• COUNTERSPY
• OPERATIVE
• SPANGRAM: UNDERCOVER

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, September 14 (game #1191)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, September 13 (game #1190).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1191) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• STRAW
• CRAB
• COOT
• LEMON
• BLUE
• CANARY
• TEAL
• RAT
• LOON
• BAG
• WHEAT
• CUTLERY
• SNITCH
• GOOSE
• STIRRER
• STOOLIE

NYT Connections today (game #1191) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Aquatic fowl
• GREEN: Tell-tale
• BLUE: Disposable things
• PURPLE: Add a green word

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1191) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: WATERBIRDS
• GREEN: INFORMANT
• BLUE: COMMON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS
• PURPLE: ____GRASS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1191) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1191, are…

• YELLOW: WATERBIRDS: COOT, GOOSE, LOON, TEAL
• GREEN: INFORMANT: CANARY, RAT, SNITCH, STOOLIE
• BLUE: COMMON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS: BAG, CUTLERY, STIRRER, STRAW
• PURPLE: ____GRASS: BLUE, CRAB, LEMON, WHEAT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

This was a really difficult game for me, although thankfully the frustration didn’t extend beyond the first group.

Seeing COOT and GOOSE I automatically knew we were looking for bird-themed tiles, but I didn’t see that we were looking for WATERBIRDS and kept on trying to include CANARY. I got there eventually though, after remembering that TEAL was a type of duck.

From here, I completed the other groups in difficulty order — although after looking at the four groups afterwards, purple seemed the easiest of the lot.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, September 13, 2026, game #1190)

• YELLOW: LACKING IN FIRMNESS: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, SLACK
• GREEN: U.S. PRESIDENTS: CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, MADISON
• BLUE: WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS: EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, ODIE
• PURPLE: ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS: DOUBLESPEAK, HEATHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT, PORRIDGE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, September 13 (game #1693)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, September 12 (game #1692).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1693) — hint #1 — Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1693) — hint #2 — repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1693) — hint #3 — uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1693) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1693) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• L

• S

• M

• E

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1693) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1693, are…

• LUCID
• SPRAY
• MANGE
• EMAIL

Despite playing Quordle hundreds of times I’m still making silly mistakes — like today guessing “anime” when the letter 'I' had already been ruled out.

Sometimes I just get a word in my head and have to put it down.

Oh well, at least it wasn’t costly as I soon came to my senses and guessed MANGE.

Daily Sequence today (game #1693) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1693, are…

• THEME
• CAMEL
• AWARD
• PROSE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1692, Saturday, 12 September: SUPER, BRUSH, RESET, SOWER
• Quordle #1691, Friday, 11 September: PLUSH, PAINT, RIVAL, AFOUL
• Quordle #1690, Thursday, 10 September: AGENT, EXILE, TITAN, PUREE
• Quordle #1689, Wednesday, 9 September: HAPPY, GONER, SMACK, MOTIF
• Quordle #1688, Tuesday, 8 September: FLUNG, DIARY, HALVE, BERTH
• Quordle #1687, Monday, 7 September: VISIT, CLANK, FEVER, OCEAN
• Quordle #1686, Sunday, 6 September: PILOT, HONOR, BOWEL, TAUNT
• Quordle #1685, Saturday, 5 September: GNASH, GEEKY, WHELP, PUTTY
• Quordle #1684, Friday, 4 September: QUICK, BEEFY, TRUCK, SNAIL
• Quordle #1683, Thursday, 3 September: SIGMA, ESSAY, MERRY, LLAMA
• Quordle #1682, Wednesday, 2 September: INCUR, FELLA, TITAN, FROZE
• Quordle #1681, Tuesday, 1 September: NASAL, ROUTE, ANKLE, MIGHT
• Quordle #1680, Monday, 31 August: ALIVE, LOUSE, ABOVE, MOSSY
• Quordle #1679, Sunday, 30 August: USING, SORRY, FILET, PIPER
• Quordle #1678, Saturday, 29 August: OVINE, ALLOY, VOICE, CARVE
• Quordle #1677, Friday, 28 August: WAIST, EDICT, BONUS, DEUCE
• Quordle #1676, Thursday, 27 August: SHEEN, TRICE, WAGON, BEVEL
• Quordle #1675, Wednesday, 26 August: OPIUM, EPOCH, BESET, FINER
• Quordle #1674, Tuesday, 25 August: BLESS, FELON, PORCH, CHOSE
• Quordle #1673, Monday, 24 August: MAJOR, VERGE, CRUSH, SCOFF

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, September 13 (game #1190)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, September 12 (game #1189).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1190) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PORRIDGE
• GARFIELD
• DROOPY
• EMPTY
• HEATHCLIFF
• EXCESS
• GRANT
• SLACK
• ODIE
• PARAMOUNT
• SAGGING
• MADISON
• FLACCID
• KEWPIE
• CLEVELAND
• DOUBLESPEAK

NYT Connections today (game #1190) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Squishy
• GREEN: American leaders
• BLUE: Double characters
• PURPLE: Geographical endings

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1190) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: LACKING IN FIRMNESS
• GREEN: U.S. PRESIDENTS
• BLUE: WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS
• PURPLE: ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1190) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1190, are…

• YELLOW: LACKING IN FIRMNESS: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, SLACK
• GREEN: U.S. PRESIDENTS: CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, MADISON
• BLUE: WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS: EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, ODIE
• PURPLE: ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS: DOUBLESPEAK, HEATHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT, PORRIDGE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Not being as knowledgeable about US presidents as I should be, it took me until I had just eight tiles left to connect CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, and MADISON.

Earlier, I had assumed the GARFIELD in question was the cartoon cat and we were looking for a quartet of comic strip felines — HEATHCLIFF is another and I took a punt on DROOPY and CLEVELAND.

The silver lining to my error was that it made me notice “cliff” at the end of HEATHCLIFF and I was able to spot the four tiles that made up ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS, thus snagging a relatively early purple group.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, September 12, 2026, game #1189)

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR: BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM: LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK: CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT: NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Diablo 5 announced and fully embraces bleakness, defeat, darkness, and hopelessness for Sanctuary, as Blizzard also confirms Diablo 4 is coming to Switch 2

In quite a big surprise at BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard has confirmed Diablo 5 is in development and is on for a Spring 2029 release.

And not content with simply maintaining the previous game's darkness, threat, and edge-of-apocalypse vibes and setting, Diablo 5 looks to go fully bleak, fully miserable, and fully void of hope.

We're on the ground at BlizzCon 2026 in Anaheim and watched the teaser trailer live, which was full of fire, death, and bleakness, as you can see below, and has already set the tone for the next game.

Diablo has always had a specific brand and type of darkness, and almost always soaks its world and settings in a tangible sense of misery, darkness, dread, and hopelessness. And that's one reason why I love the games.

I'm not just being gloomy. That edge-of-apocalypse threat and sense of darkness give the Diablo games an excellent atmosphere and complement the universe's rich lore, as the place of Sanctuary in the battle of good vs. evil.

Diablo 3 received a little pushback when it came out due to it being a bit colorful and vibrant (literally), and while Diablo 4 brought a strong sense of bleakness, death, and darkness to Sanctuary, this early look at Diablo 5 seems like it's doubling down on that original darkness and bleakness to return the series to its roots — as well as welcoming back the series' big bad bossman.

This seems true in both the setting and story. The trailer shows a world on fire, heroes being murdered and their bodies being gruesomely displayed, and, as Blizzard describes the game, instead of continually being on the edge, this is the first time that "players will enter a Sanctuary where Diablo has triumphed, and its heroes have been defeated."

The description goes on to say, "At the heart of Diablo V lies a defining question: what must you become when the world has already fallen?"

It sounds, frankly, awful, full of sorrow, sadness, and relentless bleakness. I can't wait.

Switch 2 players finally get to go to hell

Alongside the Diablo V confirmation and teaser, Blizzard also confirmed the long-running rumor that Diablo 4 is indeed coming to Nintendo Switch 2 — and will do so on September 15, just a few days from now.

In one of gaming's worst-kept secrets in recent times, Blizzard confirmed that the game will come to the handheld in the form of a new edition: Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection, that bundle in the base game along with the Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred expansions.

It's a natural fit, with the Diablo 3: Eternal Collection arriving on the original Nintendo Switch and proving a great success and a fantastic way to play the game.

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Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, September 12 (game #1692)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1691).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #1 — Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #2 — repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #3 — uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• B

• R

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1692) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1692, are…

• SUPER
• BRUSH
• RESET
• SOWER

Even though I only had three possibilities from my remaining letters I had doubts that my final word was SOWER.

Until this point though it had been stress free, so I needed a bit of risk to feel as if I'd achieved something.

Daily Sequence today (game #1692) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1692, are…

• EARTH
• PEACH
• SKIFF
• WAGER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1691, Friday, 11 September: PLUSH, PAINT, RIVAL, AFOUL
• Quordle #1690, Thursday, 10 September: AGENT, EXILE, TITAN, PUREE
• Quordle #1689, Wednesday, 9 September: HAPPY, GONER, SMACK, MOTIF
• Quordle #1688, Tuesday, 8 September: FLUNG, DIARY, HALVE, BERTH
• Quordle #1687, Monday, 7 September: VISIT, CLANK, FEVER, OCEAN
• Quordle #1686, Sunday, 6 September: PILOT, HONOR, BOWEL, TAUNT
• Quordle #1685, Saturday, 5 September: GNASH, GEEKY, WHELP, PUTTY
• Quordle #1684, Friday, 4 September: QUICK, BEEFY, TRUCK, SNAIL
• Quordle #1683, Thursday, 3 September: SIGMA, ESSAY, MERRY, LLAMA
• Quordle #1682, Wednesday, 2 September: INCUR, FELLA, TITAN, FROZE
• Quordle #1681, Tuesday, 1 September: NASAL, ROUTE, ANKLE, MIGHT
• Quordle #1680, Monday, 31 August: ALIVE, LOUSE, ABOVE, MOSSY
• Quordle #1679, Sunday, 30 August: USING, SORRY, FILET, PIPER
• Quordle #1678, Saturday, 29 August: OVINE, ALLOY, VOICE, CARVE
• Quordle #1677, Friday, 28 August: WAIST, EDICT, BONUS, DEUCE
• Quordle #1676, Thursday, 27 August: SHEEN, TRICE, WAGON, BEVEL
• Quordle #1675, Wednesday, 26 August: OPIUM, EPOCH, BESET, FINER
• Quordle #1674, Tuesday, 25 August: BLESS, FELON, PORCH, CHOSE
• Quordle #1673, Monday, 24 August: MAJOR, VERGE, CRUSH, SCOFF
• Quordle #1672, Sunday, 23 August: CHASM, BLAME, PARER, BYLAW

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, September 12 (game #1189)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1188).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TURN SIGNAL
• WEATHER
• POSTER
• BUMPER STICKER
• VANITY PLATE
• CURSOR
• SPOILER
• TROLL
• SMOKE DETECTOR
• FUZZY DICE
• SPAMMER
• NERD
• RED
• EYELIDS
• HOOD ORNAMENT
• LURKER

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Vehicle adornments
• GREEN: Chatroom characters
• BLUE: Flickering on and off
• PURPLE: Add a word that means “be aware”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1189, are…

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR: BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM: LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK: CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT: NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I missed the chance of completing the groups in difficulty order (yellow-green-blue-purple) by getting ___ ALERT ahead of THINGS THAT BLINK, but this was already a far from perfect game.

My two mistakes were logical, in my mind, as I tried SPOILER for both WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR and PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM.

Speaking of bumper stickers, I recently spotted a niche one at a music festival that featured a picture of David Byrne with a speech bubble saying “How do I work this?” and “How did I get here?” and the legend “Keep honking — I have found myself behind the wheel of a large automobile” — lyrics from the Talking Heads classic Once in a Lifetime.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, September 11, 2026, game #1188)

• YELLOW: PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT: BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER
• GREEN: INTERNALIZE: ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN
• BLUE: WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE: EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY: AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie on the Evercade Nexus use the original Rare source code, which included 'a load of stuff' that the studio didn't even know about, Blaze Entertainment says

• Blaze Entertainment says it found hidden features in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie's source code when developing the Evercade Nexus ports
• Head of communications Sean Cleaver says Blaze worked closely with Rare, which handed over the game's original code
• The team uncovered "loads" of unreleased features, including unreleased tracks and a level editor

Blaze Entertainment has revealed that it uncovered hidden features in the source code for Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie while developing the Evercade Nexus ports.

Earlier this year, the hardware company, which works to revive retro gaming, announced it was expanding its physical ecosystem with a new handheld console that handles physical game cartridges, the Evercade Nexus.

The new iteration is expected to launch on October 30 and comes with the new Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack, which includes both Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, and has been customized for the Evercade Nexus with "all the authenticity and playability of the originally released titles, as well as performance and graphical improvements.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, head of communications Sean Cleaver also discussed the Evercade Nexus - Doom Edition, also releasing on October 30, and said that Blaze worked closely with iD Software to give the game new life on the handheld.

Cleaver said there were no barriers between the companies and "They were really, really passionate about their product and their history," and "working with them has been great."

Blaze also worked closely with Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie original creators, Rare, and shared more about their working relationship, revealing the studio handed over the original code for the N64 versions of both games, which had hidden features the team implemented in the Evercade Nexus ports.

"Working with Rare has been awesome," Cleaver said. "They shared the source code. We found a load of stuff that they didn't even know was in the source code, like old unreleased tracks, there's a level editor, and we put it all in. [Plus some] little unlockable bonuses, so it gives something new to people as well."

He elaborated, saying Blaze worked internally and with a few contracted people who are familiar with the nature of the work, and discovered "really, really cool things" in the code.

"So there's a lot of public knowledge about what is in the games, but that's decompiling against what's been released, not the source code," Cleaver explained. "So when you actually get the source code, the whole thing's open. You just go through it and find the little strands and the little nuggets."

The Evercade Nexus and the bundled Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack is priced at £169.99 / $199.99 / €199.99.

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Fool's Theory says the biggest 'challenge' developing Songs of the Past was making sure Dandelion's story didn't 'steal the show' since The Witcher 3 is about Geralt — 'There was a very big effort put into this fine balancing of the narrative'

• CD Projekt Red and Fool's Theory say there were narrative challenges when developing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past
• The expansion is about Dandelion, but they didn't want him to "steal the show" from Geralt
• There was also "pressure" to live up to the "legacy" of The Witcher 3's previous expansions, but "pressure is what makes us better"

CD Projekt Red and Fool's Theory have said that developing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's third expansion, Songs of the Past, came with some narrative challenges and pressure to deliver.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, where Jakub Rokosz, CEO of Fool's Theory and game director on Songs of the Past, and senior quest designer Despoina Anetaki offered new details about the upcoming expansion, the pair revealed the process of developing a new story about Dandelion without stealing the spotlight from Geralt.

Songs of the Past will be The Witcher 3's final expansion and centers on Dandelion, Geralt's best friend, as the monster slayer unravels a new mystery within the bard's homeland of Letten.

Rokosz and Anetaki discussed how the expansion will "complete" The Wild Hunt's story by giving Dandelion the spotlight he deserves, a chapter that CDPR felt was missing from the base game; however, it came with some challenges in how best to center the bard without losing the focus on Geralt as the protagonist.

"The narrative challenge of Songs of the Past was the biggest challenge; we knew we wanted to do an expansion about Dandelion, but he cannot steal the show, right? Because it's a game about Geralt," Rokosz said.

"So, all of us, straight away, we discarded certain ideas because they were too overwhelming. But then, at the same time, if it's a game about Geralt, there is a very fine line between when it's about Geralt and Dandelion and when it's about you just running around Dandelion's home, right?"

The former Witcher 3 senior quest designer also said that the narrative approach was something his team at Fool's Theory spent "absolute days and weeks discussing."

He added, "So there was a very big effort put into this fine balancing of the narrative, where you are there for your friend, but it's still your adventure. But it is about him and his family's matters, you know. And your relationship with Dandelion as well."

Anetaki said another big narrative challenge was "living up to the legacy" of The Witcher 3 and its critically acclaimed expansions, Hearts of Stone and, "especially," Blood and Wine.

"It's difficult to make something that is just as good or, if not better, right?" the developer said. "So it was really important for us, if we were to make an expansion, to make sure it's a compelling story, right?"

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red / Fool's Theory)

While Anetaki acknowledged that this came with a lot of pressure, "pressure is what makes us better."

"It's motivating," Rokosz continued, "we always try to outdo ourselves, both Fool's Theory and CDPR. When you're working on a AAA game, there's always something that you want to improve, right? Even if you release a very good AAA game like The Witcher 3, you know there's something we'll improve 11 years later in it, right?

"So we always try to outdo ourselves," he added, before referencing Songs of the Past's demo, which premiered at Gamescom and showcased the many visual and technical improvements.

"Everyone always tries to improve their own discipline, right?" Anetaki said. "Cinematics. A lot of them [developers] have a background in movies, and they try to hone their craft as the years go by, make it better. Same for quest design. We never rest on our laurels. We try to always improve our craft, make stories more nonlinear, more compelling, more memorable for our players.

"Writers have a background. A lot of them have published books, so they're excellent at what they do. They always try to tell amazing stories together with the quest designers and the cinematic designers. Art always tries to push the boundaries, tries to make everything fit the narrative and look as beautiful as possible.

"There are technical challenges that we always try to overcome, so it's always a journey upwards, right? We always try to push the quality."

Songs of the Past is scheduled to launch in 2027.

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Exclusive: 'Jason seems quite deadpan and monotone' — Former GTA dev says he wants to see more personality from the GTA 6 protagonist, since Rockstar 'usually gives us characters who are funny and have their own flair'

• Former Rockstar Games developer Mike York says Grand Theft Auto 6's Jason "seems quite deadpan and monotone"
• York hopes Jason will show more personality, like Grand Theft Auto 4's Niko Bellic
• He also suggests co-protagonist Lucia will contrast Jason's more subdued personality

Former Rockstar Games developer Mike York has shared his thoughts on Grand Theft Auto 6's big gameplay reveal, including his initial impressions of co-protagonists Jason and Lucia.

In an exclusive interview with TechRadar Gaming, York, who previously worked on GTA 5 and GTA Online, said Jason appeared to move around "very slow and methodical," almost like a "robot" or "a Terminator," and showed very little emotion.

The developer compared the character to other GTA protagonists, such as GTA 4's Niko Bellic, a "great character" and one of his favorites in the series, who was "witty and had some great lines", and hopes GTA 6 will show Jason in a similar light.

"I hope we see more of that because right now, Jason seems quite deadpan and monotone," York said. "Rockstar usually gives us a bunch of neat characters who are funny and have their own flair. I don't know if we're going to see that with Jason, but I hope we do."

Jason will serve as co-protagonist to Lucia, his partner in crime and girlfriend — if you choose to romance her properly, that is. From the extended gameplay footage, it's clear that Lucia is much livelier than Jason, sometimes taking the lead in certain situations; York agreed that as switchable characters, Lucia could serve as the Yin to Jason’s Yang.

"I think that's what they're going to do," he said, and addressed the cutscene where the duo arrives at the Effluvia rooftop bar in the trailer.

"There's that moment in the trailer where they get in an elevator, and he says: ‘Sometimes I'm just more comfortable when I have to use a gun’. She replies: ‘Just be charming!’ Lucia's got this attitude where you can tell she's trying to break him out of his shell. She's the one that probably goes into missions gung-ho, all guns blazing.”

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S. Rockstar has confirmed that it will run at 30fps on consoles at launch.

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Rebellion says Alien Deathstorm is a 'dynamically generated' survival horror game with sandbox elements and 'not another corridor shooter' — 'It's a rare beast'

• Alien Deathstorm producer Martin Willingham says the game is "not another corridor shooter"
• Head of design Ben Fisher says it's a "dynamically generated" survival horror game
• The Rebellion developers say it's a 360-degree sandbox experience

Rebellion Developments has said players can't expect its upcoming first-person survival horror game, Alien Deathstorm, to be another linear corridor shooter, calling it a "rare beast."

Alien Deathstorm was revealed earlier this year by the developers behind the Sniper Elite series and Atomfall and is described as a "visceral first-person action horror experience, where second-to-second survival hinges on responding to a monstrous, constantly shifting threat on a storm-blasted off-world colony."

TechRadar Gaming recently went hands-on with the game at Gamescom and then later caught up with some Rebellion developers, who talked more about it at length, including the concept and design influences, replayability, and player freedom.

While Alien Deathstorm may look like your run-of-the-mill survival shooter with typical survival horror features, the team considers it a "dynamic" experience with sandbox elements where the player's actions can affect unscripted enemy encounters.

Producer Martin Willingham said this means, "the horror, the tension, can happen at any time in different ways between playthroughs and between difficulty camps as well.

"For me, that's one of the most exciting parts of the game because in horror games the experience is typically kind of very, very choreographed because it has to be to build up that anticipation set of those jump scares. But it means you can only play it once."

He continued, saying the team values replayability and sandbox freedom, which means "we had to do something dynamic," and "building the encounters around the player and the player's activities means it's a different experience."

Ben Fisher, head of design, called the game "dynamically generated," where levels are played sequentially, and each has its own sandbox, adding that "It's a rare beast."

"It's not another corridor shooter," Willingham added later. "You're in that sandbox. It's 360 degrees. The action could be coming from anywhere, rather than just at the end of that corridor."

Alien Deathstorm doesn't have a release date yet, but you'll be able to play it in Spring 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

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FBI launches investigation after 153 million drivers licenses apparently leaked on Russian cybercrime forum

• 153 million US driving licences have been leaked on a Russian cybercrime platform
• Among those apaprently discovered in the stolen data is US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
• The FBI is now investigating the leak, which has been traced to an identity verification company

A data leak of 153 million US drivers licenses is said to have been shared on a Russian cybercrime forum, with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth among those leaked prompting an FBI investigation.

Security researcher Brian Krebs identified the leak – which included his own data – as originating from a hack of an identity verification service. Louisiana-based IDScan provided ID verification for various well-known companies, including FedEx and Hertz car hire.

The data was shared on a Russian forum called Exploit, a long-established online community of cybercriminals. Following news of the leak, the identity theft service “Nexus” has apparently scrubbed its existence from the Dark Web.

Driving licenses and more

It wasn’t just US driving licenses that were found in the archive of recently-collected personal data. Krebs’ investigation found that Nexus claimed other types of data, and found a further 1.1 million driving licenses from Canada.

Other identity documentation alleged to be in the leak include 10 million identification cards, three million travel documents and international IDs, and 579,000 medical cards. The data was available to browse, notes Krebs, with Nexus providing details: “Records are available to preview before purchase with pertinent information redacted. Customer photos are displayed if available.”

The leak has a personal dimension for Krebs. Not only was his driving license in the collection, so was that of his mother. It has proved to be a useful coincidence, one that has enabled the security and privacy researcher to establish how the data was sourced by Nexus.

Both licenses were used for a car hire, which Krebs traced to Hertz. Others affected by the leak had also used the service, which has used New Orleans-based IDscan for identity verification.

The company, which claims to perform 21 million verifications a month, is yet to issue a statement on the matter. Its marketing and operations leader, Jillian Kossman, told the journalist: “At this point I’m not able to share any additional information, but the updates you have provided have been welcome, and helpful to our team’s investigation.”

Where is the data?

Krebs reports that he was alerted to the data on August 31, 2026, little over a week ago. Regular checking noted that the data was still being added to, increasing by “nearly 400,000” records prior to publishing his investigation on September 1.

Since then, however, it seems that Nexus has vanished, along with the data. But how widely was the data downloaded before that happened? While the FBI investigates, it falls on the American and Canadian public to be extra vigilant and wary of identity fraud.

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