Joel Franey got his Bachelors in Creative Writing and Games Design from Brunel University in 2017, before going on to do a Masters in Creative and Critical Writing from Sussex University. During this time he also worked freelance in various gaming-related roles and professions, including design, PR, reviews and features, before eventually joining the guides team at USgamer and ReedPop in 2019. Since then, he has written professionally for numerous publications, including Gfinity Esports, Eurogamer, VG247, Dicebreaker, RPS, Jelly Deals and more. These have involved, among other things, writing guides, news, features, reviews, and even working as an SEO consultant, restructuring and rewriting content for the purpose of increased online traffic. He eventually joined GamesRadar+ as a Guides Writer in 2021, with a focus on covering single player games and narrative games, though nonetheless regularly contributing to ongoing coverage of online gaming services and multiplayer properties, and has covered a variety of major AAA games in his time since then. In his spare time he is also a long-time fiction writer, having written books, screenplays and more besides in a variety of genres, and is the co-host and co-creator of the pop culture comedy podcast, "Margaret Thatcher, Templar Spy".
Latest articles by Joel Franey

Electromagnetic Storms in Arc Raiders explained
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Electromagnetic storms in Arc Raiders are a map condition that reduce exit options

Full Arc Raiders Loot Cheat Sheet with all items
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide FInd out where to find every item in Arc Raiders with our special loot cheat sheet

Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (May 2026)
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide All the best guns in Arc Raiders' meta are laid out here

How to get all Blueprints in Arc Raiders
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Blueprints can be farmed in Arc Raiders during Hurricanes, and found on all maps

How to use the Dockmaster's Detector in Arc Raiders
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The detector is tied to the Beachcombing map modifier for Riven Tides

How to complete the Arc Raiders Avian Alarm project
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Everything you need to complete the Avian Alarm project in Riven Tides

How many suits are in Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight?
By Joel Franey published
Guide Having played the preview of Lego Batman LotDK, I've seen how many suits you can collect, and how to get them

All Mecha Break codes and how to redeem them
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Redeeming codes in Mecha Break lets you earn in-game rewards

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight hands-on preview
By Joel Franey published
Hands-on Hands-on | The new Lego Batman is cute, even if it's not going to be the next Arkham City

Agave locations in Arc Raiders
By Joel Franey published
Guide Agave plants in Arc Raiders are found in most maps, but are most common in Riven Tides

Shoring Up Defenses Arc Raiders walkthrough
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Shoring Up Defenses has you finding a Stacking Yard Crane and boarding up hotel windows in Riven Tides

How do Adrenaline Levels in Saros work?
By Joel Franey published
Guide Adrenaline levels grant bonuses for collecting Lucenite in Saros without taking damage

How to save your progress in Saros
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Saving your progress in Saros is done with auto-save, not a manual option

How to get through Yellow Barriers in Saros
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Yellow walls or barriers in Saros need a Blazing Strike to break through

When is Saros out? Release times and dates for all time zones
By Joel Franey published
Guide If you bought the standard version of Saros, it'll be out April 30

How to find all Ship Models in Arc Raiders
By Joel Franey published
Guide How to find the ship models for the Last Resort event, including the Leviathan's Crown

All Endings in Saros explained and how to get them
By Joel Franey published
Guide In this spoiler-heavy guide, we explain how to get every ending in Saros and what they mean

Drive, Command, Resilience and Proficiency in Saros explained
By Joel Franey published
Guide Drive, Command, Resilience and Proficiency attributes are all explained here

What does Autohit in Saros mean?
By Joel Franey published
Guide Autohit in Saros is a weapon feature that's both useful and a challenge

How long is Saros?
By Joel Franey published
Guide Saros will take roughly twenty to thirty hours to beat for most players

Best Saros weapons and guns
By Joel Franey published
Guide Our tier list for Saros guns lists all the best options for weapons in-game, including Power Weapons

All abilities and permanent upgrades in Saros
By Joel Franey published
Guide To unlock abilities in Saros, players need to progress to certain points of the campaign

How to drop Artefacts in Saros and gain more slots
By Joel Franey published
Guide Artefacts in Saros grant buffs, but there's limited slots to hold them
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