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

The best Helldivers 2 Warbonds for new players to buy first
By Will Sawyer last updated
Guide Our Warbond tier list for Helldivers 2 will let you know the best options for what to invest in

Everything in the Helldivers 2 Dust Devils Warbond and is it worth it?
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The Helldivers 2 Dust Devils premium Warbond focuses on desert warfare

Helldivers 2 weapons tier list and the best guns to use
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Our Helldivers 2 weapon tier list ranks every gun in the game, including primary weapons, Stratagem weapons, and those in Warbonds

All Mecha Break codes (October 2025) and how to redeem them
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Redeeming codes in Mecha Break lets you earn in-game rewards

Pokemon TCG Pocket best decks and meta tier list (October 2025)
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The best PTCGP decks are mostly the same this month, with the Deluxe Pack ex only adding new art

How to beat the Silksong Moorwing boss fight
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The Moorwing in Hollow Knight Silksong is a flying boss that you can an ally to help with

How to unlock the Double Jump in Silksong and the Faydown Cloak
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Silksong's double jump is called the Faydown Cloak

All Silksong abilities in order and how to get them
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide From fast travel to sprinting to the double jump, here's how to unlock every ability in Hollow Knight Silksong

After playing its single player, I was surprised to find that Battlefield 6 is evoking the FPS shooters of the PS3 and PS4 era in all ways but one
By Joel Franey published
Hands-on Big Preview | Battlefield 6 is the latest game to be taking no prisoners when it comes to difficulty, and I can't help but respect it for that

All Silksong Mask Shard locations
By Joel Franey published
Guide Mask Shards in Hollow Knight Silksong are how you increase your health, and there's 20 of them to find

Battlefield 6's expanded Portal mode is so powerful that even its devs are having a blast: "Someone on the dev team actually created Pong"
By Andrew Brown published
Interview Interview | Catching up with Ripple Effect to learn more about how players will be able to make their own Battlefield

Full Silksong map and how to unlock map fragments
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Here's the entire Pharloom map from Hollow Knight Silksong, as well as how to find map pieces

Battlefield 6 isn't just inspired by Battlefield 3 and 4, its campaign was influenced by "a lot of movies" including Generation Kill and Civil War
By Catherine Lewis published
News "I have watched so many contemporary war documentaries I couldn't even begin to name them"

I got to play Battlefield 6's single player for 3 hours, and it's a clear return to the grounded shooter campaigns of the early 2010s
By Joel Franey published
Features Big Preview | Sledgehammers, beach landings, bomber drones, and crashing cars: the Battlefield 6 story mode is "boots on the ground", and the devs really want you to know that

How to find the Watcher at the Edge in Silksong
By Joel Franey published
Guide The Watcher at the Edge in Silksong is a secret boss fight in Sands of Karak

How to unlock Act 3 in Silksong
By Joel Franey published
Guide Silksong's Act 3 is a result of fulfilling all town wishes, finding enough fleas, and completing the Silk and Soul Wish

Silksong Mist walkthrough and map
By Joel Franey published
Guide The Mist in Hollow Knight Silksong is a maze area where you're teleported between rooms

All Silksong Needle upgrades and Pale Oil locations
By Joel Franey published
Guide There are four weapon and needle upgrades in Hollow Knight Silksong, three of which require Pale Oil

Full Silksong Hunter's March walkthrough and map
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The Silksong region Hunter's March is deadly with red ants, but thankfully optional

Best Silksong Shell Shard farming location
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Shell Shards in Silksong are used to replenish tools, as well as buy certain things, and complete the Bone Bottom Repairs Wish

All Marvel Rivals upcoming characters and leaks for Season 3 and beyond
By Patrick Dane last updated
Guide All the leaked, new, and upcoming Marvel Rivals characters we've heard about

Silksong Bell Beast boss fight guide
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide We explain how to free the Bell Beast beetle in Silksong, and then how to beat it up

Silksong Bilewater map location
By Joel Franey published
Guide The map for Bilewater in Silksong is located a little way in, past the fast travel point
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more