Joe Donnelly
Joe Donnelly is a sports editor from Glasgow and former features editor at GamesRadar+. A mental health advocate, Joe has written about video games and mental health for The Guardian, New Statesman, VICE, PC Gamer and many more, and believes the interactive nature of video games makes them uniquely placed to educate and inform. His book Checkpoint considers the complex intersections of video games and mental health, and was shortlisted for Scotland's National Book of the Year for non-fiction in 2021. As familiar with the streets of Los Santos as he is the west of Scotland, Joe can often be found living his best and worst lives in GTA Online and its PC role-playing scene.
Latest articles by Joe Donnelly
![Best games like Stardew Valley](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ePYYFsL4cXJUPWYmXmTSGc-320-80.jpg)
10 games like Stardew Valley that’ll keep you working on the farm until the cows come home
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Feature There are plenty of games like Stardew Valley if you're craving an immersive farming sim-meets-RPG experience
![SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless in white being held in front of a PS5](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vUt8omkCA3K5sdUdPs82hF-320-80.jpg)
The best PS5 headset in 2024
By Tabitha Baker last updated
Buying Guide We're rounding up the best PS5 headset options you can choose from to team with your new-gen console.
![Best Assassin's Creed games of all time: Alexios kicking Ancient Greek soldiers during Assassin's Creed Odyssey.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o7tEP5YuJ9fPYytrejRLZD-320-80.jpg)
Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked
By Louise Blain last updated
Feature Whether you're team Ezio or Edward, we can all agree that these are the best Assassin's Creed games
![Best city building games: A screenshot of a residential zone in the game Cities Skylines.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iWioFUhCSxzajzHKWZm4FH-320-80.jpg)
The 15 best city building games to play today
By Heather Wald last updated
Feature From Frostpunk to Aven Colony, here's our list of the best city building games that will have you reaching for the skies
![Games like GTA: A man holding a gun and woman holding a bat in key art for Grand Theft Auto.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B3p3ndkrwg2F8LFBb3mhiF-320-80.jpg)
10 games like GTA you need to play while waiting for GTA 6
By Iain Wilson last updated
Feature Games like GTA: Whether it's the fast cars or the loaded guns you love, here's everything you need to check out
![Fallout 5: A picture of Vault Boy giving a thumbs up in front of a closed vault from the Fallout games.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8vCdfnjKzGNjCtsGaphGh-320-80.jpg)
Fallout 5: Everything we know so far, and what we hope to see
By Heather Wald last updated
Features Bethesda remains rather quiet about Fallout 5, but we know that it's on its way
![A picture of a Nintendo 3DS console next to several of the best 3DS games and Nintendo cards.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kKPbePEnGNgUiUbFd5yDVM-320-80.jpg)
The 25 best Nintendo 3DS games of all-time
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Best List With this list of the best 3DS games, you'll never be bored of Nintendo's finest handheld
![A creepy figure standing beneath a light in Nightmare Creatures](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/k6Y4nE4bLLaMbkeeA4ZhSi-320-80.jpg)
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has the same crippling claustrophobia I haven't felt since this 27-year-old console horror slasher scared the crap out of me
By Joe Donnelly published
Now playing Opinion | I first discovered the PS1 classic by accident on a 1997 magazine demo disc
![Two characters fighting in Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KyBNfqim6dkXnSwXRJ73rL-320-80.jpg)
There are 5 expansions that changed the face of video games – here's why Shadow of the Erdtree is one of them
By Joe Donnelly published
List Opinion | The best expansions are still worth talking about 25 years later
![Slitterhead](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TrRz9tpij3DkWGDMufdzLR-320-80.jpg)
Slitterhead: Release date, gameplay, and everything we know about the Silent Hill creator's new horror game
By Joe Donnelly last updated
Feature The Slitterhead release date has been set for November 8
![Skate 4](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/J8vgTWyjbhip482wtczWva-320-80.jpg)
Skate 4 trailer, playtests, and everything else we know
By Josh West last updated
Feature Upcoming free-to-play game Skate 4 has been retitled Skate
![Everwild](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PzenyRVugLrgmZ4G3Lghyk-320-80.jpg)
Everwild: Everything we know about the new game from Rare
By Jordan Oloman last updated
Feature Everwild is a beautiful upcoming adventure game where natural and human worlds collide
![Skyrim](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BUm2ZnvQ2scEsFuDdbuUzk-320-80.jpg)
Skyrim mods have been downloaded over 6 billion times from the biggest modding site – will anything ever come close to the RPG's stunning legacy?
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | The fifth Elder Scrolls entry is a giant in so many ways, and it still, somehow, shows little signs of slowing down
![Sniper Elite VR](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8rZLHTDQu5fPBMU2eQc4JP-320-80.jpg)
Shooting Nazis in the arse while lying flat out in the prone position in the middle of my living room might be the best video game experience I've ever had
By Joe Donnelly published
Now Playing Now Playing| And I think I've finally seen through the VR looking glass
![The best zombie games](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bzQGTXgtUYWwZro2Ftdw8P-320-80.jpg)
The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
By Connor Sheridan last updated
Feature Success in the best zombie games is simple: remove the head or destroy the brain
![Ishar: Legend of the Fortress](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bRxVPzKuYm4XCbdhuNMgHL-320-80.jpg)
Rediscovering the brilliant and brutal 22-year-old RPG that charges a ridiculous 1,000 in-game coins just to save your game
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Now Playing | The game's party recruitment system can also lead to a bloodbath revolt
![Spelunky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qu7FATLBHwBKEguid6rP4j-320-80.jpg)
My favorite Spelunky character is a masterclass in roguelike risk versus reward: "Stealing in games is fun in the same way running across the top of the screen is in Super Mario"
By Joe Donnelly published
Interview Interview | The game's creator Derek Yu explores the workings of Spelunky's grumpy, and deadly, shopkeepers
![GTA 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EvMDNqAGbof7CK4KhGCG2e-320-80.jpg)
GTA players are still discussing how to 100% this top-down classic – proving it was years ahead of its time at the turn of the millennium
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | Is Grand Theft Auto 2 the most underrated of all GTA games?
![Tekken 8 screenshot](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cEiyJZ6u9dMRzakdj6n89Q-320-80.jpg)
The 25 best fighting games you can play right now
By Josh West last updated
Best List From Street Fighter 6 to Tekken 8, here are our picks of the best fighting games
![Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7qrZLtT4EaEY6DUeCS5Cya-320-80.jpg)
The best single-player games to play right now
By Alex Avard last updated
Feature From blockbuster hits to indie gems, these are the best single player games we'd recommend right now
![The Rogue Prince of Persia](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pGFMt2CYjRjdV4i9PoVG87-320-80.jpg)
The Rogue Prince of Persia is an unlikely roguelike slant on the 35-year-old series from one of the best genre developers in the business
By Joe Donnelly published
Preview Preview | The Rogue Prince of Persia is a strange but welcomed roguelike take on the newly revitalized series
![Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree screenshot](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iJYdS6rE8fc7HXC8PHYRda-320-80.jpg)
As we stare down the Elden Ring DLC, I can't decide which of my all-time favorite builds to take into the RPG's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | I'm juggling save files in the Lands Between and I'm terrified I'll make the wrong call
![The best strategy games - Gears Tactics](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/48Xrb6cqDzJQ9zE74QLdnn-320-80.jpg)
The best strategy games you can play right now
By Heather Wald last updated
Feature The very best strategy games will have you scratching your skull in no time