Mashable

This week, OpenAI finally released Sora 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to its generative AI video model. OpenAI launched Sora 2 in a standalone iOS app (sorry, Android users), which is currently available for free on an invite-only basis. Because we didn't have enough slop machines.

I managed to get a Sora 2 invite code, and I've been scrolling through the app and making videos ever since (and getting paid to do it).

My first impressions are a bit complicated. The technology is impressive, certainly. And I had some fun scrolling through the app, but just as often, I found content that left me feeling uneasy.

What is Sora 2?

Sora 2 is a new video generation model and app from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. Sora 2 can make videos (with corresponding dialogue and audio) based on natural language prompts. It's the first true rival to Google's Veo 3 AI video maker, which has been in a league of its own since its launch earlier this year. I don't even want to mention Meta's lackluster Llama or Grok Imagine video tools in the same sentence as these apps, though Meta should get a boost now that it's licensing Midjourney technology.

The invite-only screen... Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora ...and what awaits you on the other side. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Using Veo 3 for the first time was one of those crossing-the-rubicon moments for me. The level of realism was equally impressive and horrifying. Sora 2 feels the same way. Like Veo 3, it's mostly being used to make viral meme content and short-form videos like you'd see on TikTok. Videos of a Golden Retriever being arrested for shoplifting steaks at the grocery store, or an emotional support kangaroo being stopped at the airport, seem cute, not sinister.

But Sora 2's potential for harm has a 1:1 relationship with its quality. The better and more realistic the videos are (and some of them are very good, and often realistic), the more I worry about deepfakes and misinformation.

Sora 2 has much better safeguarding than Grok Sora will reject prompts for overtly sexual videos. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora Sora makes it easy to report offensive content. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

When xAI and Elon Musk launched Grok Imagine, a generative AI image and video generator, I was, frankly, horrified by the lack of safeguarding. Musk has pitched xAI and Grok as the politically incorrect alternative to artificial intelligence apps that are, he says, bogged down with liberal bias. Grok also has a much more laissez-faire approach to content moderation and safety, resulting in sexual deepfakes on Grok Imagine.

On the other hand, OpenAI has implemented much saner safeguards for Sora 2. If you upload an image to serve as the inspiration for a video, the app will reject your image if it detects a face — any face.

A screenshot of the Sora app showing a rejected photo, partially censored by Mashable. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

If you want to create a video featuring a real person, you have to use the Cameos feature. This feature lets you create videos with the likeness of specific people — as long as they've agreed to participate in the feature.

When I tried to create videos of public figures like, say, Taylor Swift, using common jailbreaking techniques, the app refused to make the video. Needless to say, this is not the blonde showgirl I had in mind.

Cameos tool is cool and unnerving

Cameos are the most famous feature of the new Sora app so far. When you get access to the app, the first thing you have to do is opt in or out of the Cameos tool, which allows your likeness to be used in videos on the app. You can give yourself the ability to make videos of yourself, but also grant access to contacts, specific users, or the public.

The Cameos tool in Sora. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Cameos has resulted in a flood of videos featuring the likeness of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Cameos is a clever way to circumvent the deepfake problem by letting users essentially opt in to deepfakes.

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I created a video of myself, and it was weird. Sora didn't get my voice right, but my face, body, hair, and general likeness were spot on. Seeing yourself say and do things you've never said or done is a very strange feeling.

Unfortunately, you may need to get used to that feeling — as AI enthusiasts are fond of saying, it's a new era.

Sora 2 and Veo 3 are in a league of two

A lot of generative AI tools can animate photographs, but few can make realistic videos with corresponding dialogue and sound effects. Sora 2 does this easily, like Veo 3 before it. We'll have a more in-depth comparison of Sora 2 and Veo 3 coming soon. In the meantime, I'll just say Sora 2 lives up to the hype in ways that GPT-5 did not.

The Sora app can make videos in a variety of styles — fake police body-cam videos, '90s TV commercials, music videos, sports broadcasts — that don't immediately look like AI videos at all.

SEE ALSO: Sora 2 app: 7 weird AI videos people have already made with the new OpenAI tool Sora 2 seems to play fast and loose with intellectual property

Mashable has written extensively about the fight between artists and IP holders and the AI industry. AI companies like Meta have won some early victories in these fights, and President Donald Trump's executive orders and comments on the topic have favored the AI industry.

"You can't be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or anything else that you've read or studied, you're supposed to pay for," Trump said when announcing The White House's AI Action Plan this summer, per Politico. "We appreciate that, but just can't do it — because it's not doable."

Pokemon in the style of 'The Breath of the Wild'. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora SpongeBob and Patrick in 'Midsommar' by A24. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Obviously, many artists and rights holders strongly disagree. Disney lawyers famously called Midjourney a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" in its lawsuit against the AI company. But, for now, the federal government seems to be clearing the way for companies like OpenAI to use IP with impunity, lest China gain the edge in the AI arms race.

So, unless Disney or Warner Bros. suddenly scores a surprise legal victory, I'd expect the SpongeBob Squarepants, Star Wars, and Rick & Morty AI videos to keep spreading like meme-fueled wildfire. Mashable asked OpenAI if the company had a licensing agreement with Warner Bros., which owns the rights to Rick & Morty, but the company declined to answer.

Deepfakes and memes as far as the eye can scroll

There are some recurring themes in the Sora app. Users seem to be turning Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" and JFK's "Ask not what your country" speeches into video memes. A representative example: "I have a dream that Xbox Game Pass will not raise prices." Did I laugh the first time I heard Martin Luther King Jr. say, "I have a dream that I'm never going to give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you"? I may have chuckled. But I wish I hadn't.

I also saw a lot of SpongeBob memes in particular, and to a lesser extent, various riffs on Rick & Morty and Pokémon. That could be because a lot of millennials are using Sora, and millennials hold SpongeBob Squarepants and Pokémon in a special place in their hearts.

Screenshot of Sora app with user details blurred out. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora Screenshot of Sora app with user details blurred out. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Public figures and beloved TV characters have always been fodder for memes. What's novel here is the ability to easily create videos featuring these figures saying whatever you want. In my experience, Google Veo 3 is more sensitive to prompts involving IP.

How could this be problematic? With Elon Musk currently leading a Netflix boycott over transgender characters in children's TV shows, now anyone can make a realistic video featuring characters saying whatever they want. It could be a powerful tool for outrage farmers.

So, it's once again time to practice media literacy and hone your ability to identify viral AI videos.

I reached out to OpenAI for comment, and a company representative said that Sora was built to provide users with as much creative freedom as it could. The rep also said that IP holders can submit takedown requests through the company's Copyright Disputes form; however, there is not a blanket opt out for IP holders.

SEE ALSO: How to identify AI-generated videos online "We're under heavy load, please try again later."

For early users, expect to see this message a lot. As when OpenAI first integrated image generation into ChatGPT, the company is facing extremely high demand for Sora. I don't expect that to change any time soon. I repeatedly received this error message while testing the app. In fact, it was hard to use up all my credits due to this frequent error.

Sora app with error message: 'We're under heavy load, please try again later' Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora My favorite feature so far

In the Sora feed, you can scroll up or down to find new videos, which is typical. However, on some videos, you can also scroll sideways to see alternative versions of the users' posts. This video album feature lets you see how the video turned out with slight tweaks to the prompt, which is pretty darn cool.

Body cam-style AI video of dogs shoplifting. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora "Make it a pitbull cops treat him a lot worse because of his breed" Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora It's a little addicting

Finally, I have to admit that Sora 2 is a little addicting, but only in the same way that all short-form video apps are addicting. Just like it's easy to fall into a TikTok hole, it's easy to fall into a Sora hole, and I suspect many early adopters are wasting a lot of time on the app.

As I said, the tech is certainly impressive. But, better slop is still slop, no matter how many likes it gets.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Astronomers are marveling at a distant galaxy surrounded by two giant, intersecting rings of radio light in space, each about 300,000 light-years wide.

The discovery, made by volunteers in the RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory citizen-science program in Mumbai, is what's known as — and we're not kidding — an "Odd Radio Circle." The rings both sit within an even bigger radio cloud that stretches nearly 3 million light-years.

These circles, sometimes called ORCs for short, were only found six years ago, and their origin is still a mystery. They may be shockwaves from merging black holes or galaxies. Most are 10 to 20 times larger than the Milky Way, but only a handful are known so far. 

The newly reported ORC, named RAD J131346.9+500320, is the most distant and powerful ever found. It sits so far away in space that astronomers see it as it was when the universe was just half its current age of 13.8 billion years, because light has taken so long to reach Earth. What makes it even more extraordinary is that it's composed of two overlapping circles — a double-ring phenomenon seen only once before. 

"ORCs are among the most bizarre and beautiful cosmic structures we've ever seen," said Ananda Hota, founder of the program, in a statement, "and they may hold vital clues about how galaxies and black holes co-evolve, hand-in-hand."

SEE ALSO: A Saturn moon's ocean may have the chemistry to start life This composite image shows a distant galaxy in optical light with a rare phenomenon called an "Odd Radio Circle," RAD J131346.9+500320, overlaid on top in red. Credit: RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory (India)

This is the first ORC discovered through citizen-assisted science and the first identified using LOFAR, a network of antennas spread across the Netherlands and other European countries. ORCs can only be detected by radio telescopes. 

The discovery came from volunteers using their own eyes to scan deep space maps, searching for unusual patterns that computers may have missed. The findings were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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The authors suggest that these rings might be created by powerful winds blowing out of certain galaxies, which toss material out into distant space and shape it into these structures. An animation created by the program, shown below, depicts the rare double-ring ORC expanding after an explosive event in the central galaxy.

In addition to the double ring, the program found two other examples. In RAD J122622.6+640622, astronomers saw a galaxy nearly 3 million light-years across. One of the jets shooting out of its core formed a sudden curve, blowing a ring of radio light about 100,000 light-years wide. 

In the third, RAD J142004.0+621715, the galaxy stretched 1.4 million light-years and showed a similar ring at the tip of one of its jets, with another narrow jet displayed on the other side of the host galaxy.

Scientists say these strange cosmic objects demonstrate that galaxies can shape their surroundings in more ways than expected.

"ORCs and radio rings are not isolated curiosities," said Pratik Dabhade, a coauthor from the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Poland, in a statement. "They are part of a broader family of exotic plasma structures shaped by black hole jets, winds, and their environments."

Who doesn’t mutter “Phone, keys, wallet” and pat their pockets or check their bag when they’re trying to get out of the house? If you’re always in a hurry and fumbling with all the things you need to bring, you might love making the switch to a wallet case for your iPhone. The following are some of the best MagSafe wallet cases for the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air. Being able to slide your cards and ID into your phone case can definitely lighten the load you carry in your pockets. 

Another reason to pick up a wallet case for your iPhone is the opportunity to match the case to your outfits. On this list, there are a few options that come in genuine leather, and they look pretty sleek. Some of the other cases also offer phone stands for watching videos, taking selfies, or just overall convenience. Other finds in this list include a camera cover for those who want an added level of protection, and even a detachable feature if you want to go back and forth between wallet case life. 

Vinich Opens in a new window Credit: Vinich Vinich iPhone 17 Wallet Case $17.99 at Amazon
$19.99 Save $2 Shop Now

This Wallet case from Vinich comes in fun shades like plum, teal, pink, and black. The wallet rests on the back below the camera and swings out from the case. The RFID-blocking wallet case also features luxe stitching along the edges of the case. The case’s wallet can also swing around and act as a kickstand for your iPhone.

Hiwe   Opens in a new window Credit: Hiwe Hiwe Strong MagSafe Magnetic Wallet for iPhone  $14.99 at Amazon
$19.98 Save $4.99 Shop Now

This case from Hiwe is a MagSafe wallet attachment for iPhones 12 through 17. The wallet attaches to the back of the phone via a magnet and sits there securely. It holds seven cards and is made of black vegan leather.

Antsturdy Opens in a new window Credit: Antsturdy Antsturdy iPhone Wallet Case $22.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

This wallet case offers a wrist strap and a full wallet compartment. The left side of the wallet holds your cards, and then the zippered pouch opens up for more storage. The case can also fold up and act as a phone stand.

Smartish Opens in a new window Credit: Smartish Smartish iPhone 17 Wallet Case $29.99 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $5.00 Shop Now

This sleek black wallet case from Smartish is perfect for those wanting a subtle wallet case for their iPhone. It comes in numerous colors and patterns, but the simple black is one of the most popular models. Raised edges on the case act as a screen and a camera guard. It can secure up to four cards plus cash, but it is not MagSafe.

BoxCastle  Opens in a new window Credit: BoxCastle iPhone 17 Genuine Leather Case Wallet with Card Holder $30.99 at Amazon
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Super sleek, this genuine leather, folio-style wallet case has a magnetic tab that keeps the folio closed over your phone case. The credit card slots are on the left side when you open the case.

Acandya Opens in a new window Credit: Acandya Acandya iPhone 17 Clear Protective Wallet Phone Case $12.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

This clear case is made from anti-yellowing plastic, with heavy-duty shockproof protection. The wallet is on the back of the case, but buyer beware, this case is clear. If you want to protect your privacy, this might not be the best fit for you, but you could always put a fun sticker on the bottom of the wallet portion to protect your cards from being visible.

Vena  Opens in a new window Credit: Vena Vena iPhone 17 Wallet Case Flip Cover $39.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $10 Shop Now

This case from Vena is super cool. The wallet in this case also folds out to be your phone stand, and the cards stay secure and protected even when the wallet wall is open to support your fun. It also comes in fun two-tone colors like white and pastel blue or blue and black.

OCASE Opens in a new window Credit: OCASE OCASE iPhone 17 Detachable Wallet Case with Card Holder $29.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

This 2-in-1 wallet case from OCASE is awesome because you can switch between a regular case and a wallet case whenever you want. The OCASE provides a regular phone case that fits inside a larger folio-style RFID-blocking wallet case. Despite all of this, it isn’t bulky, and the design is very sleek. The cherry on top is that it comes in 20 different colors.

Atatoo Opens in a new window Credit: Atatoo iPhone 17 Case Wallet with Built-in Card Holder  $19.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

For folks who don’t mind a bit of bulk, this case is super sturdy and designed for protection. The case has a wallet on the back and a sliding camera cover to protect your camera from getting scuffed.

Benbenjaytek Opens in a new window Credit: Benbenjaytek Benbenjaytek iPhone 17 Wallet Case with Card Holder $15.95 at Amazon
Get Deal

For someone looking for a wallet case that is more subtle and does not announce that it also holds all of your cards and ID, this is a great option. This iPhone wallet case is so sleek — aside from the subtle line where the wallet compartment opens up, you can barely tell that this is a wallet case at all. The hidden card slot holds up to two cards, and it comes with a screen protector. 

Defencase  Opens in a new window Credit: Defencase Defencase Compatible with iPhone 17 Case Wallet  $26.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

Last but not least, this wallet case from Defencase is for the maximalists out there. This case offers so much — if you don’t mind your phone and its wallet case becoming basically a wristlet. The folio case has a zipper pouch, card slots on the outside of that pouch, another whole middle section with more card slots, and then, finally, the spot for your phone. Thankfully, this wallet case also comes with a wrist strap for smooth carrying. 

A laptop doesn't make a great impulse buy, like a pack of gum in the checkout line or a weird thingamajig you saw in a TikTok livestream.

Of course, if the computer you depend on for work, school, or entertainment randomly decides to kick the bucket, the best time to replace it is immediately (after recycling or repurposing it). But most people can and should strategize before investing in a new machine they hope to use for years to come.

First, decide what's most important to you: a laptop with minty-fresh specs, or a laptop that costs less than usual? From there, I can point you toward several key times to buy based on my historical knowledge of past laptop launches and deals. As we head into the holiday shopping season, I'll tell you upfront that now is the absolute best time to buy a laptop if you just want a really good deal.

If you want the latest specs

For future-proofers and shoppers with cash to spare, splurging on the laptop of the moment can be more appealing than buying an older model at a discount.

Best time to buy: At launch

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a tech industry trade show that happens every year in January, is basically ground zero for next-generation Windows laptops. Major manufacturers like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, MSI, and Razer treat their booths as runways for new computers with the latest processors, graphics cards, and/or cutting-edge features. Think rollable displays, weird lid attachments, and touchpads with built-in media controls.

While some of the laptops showcased at CES are just prototypes, many are fully fleshed-out devices, and a batch of them are available for preorder or purchase shortly after the event wraps. The rest typically hit the market by March or April.

Billed as "the world's first rollable display AI PC," Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 made a splash at CES 2025. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

There are two lone alpha wolves who don't make appearances at CES, one being Apple, which is known to take a couple different approaches to new laptop launches. Apple usually hosts formal keynote events to mark an upgrade, which the public can watch via livestream. Sometimes it just drops an unceremonious press release. That said, the company is pretty consistent about updating its MacBook Air and Pro lines annually. You can usually count on seeing new MacBook Airs in the spring (March or June) and new MacBook Pros in the fall (October or November).

SEE ALSO: Laptop specs explained: A jargon-free guide to what's inside your computer

Microsoft also opts out of CES in favor of holding its own Surface laptop launch events, which typically happen in the spring (March or May) or fall (September or October). It's been operating on a two-year release cycle lately.

If you want a good deal

Any opportunity to save money is ultimately a win, but certain times of the year feature more (and steeper) laptop discounts that can justify a postponed purchase for those in search of a stellar value.

Best time to buy: On or around Black Friday

The fourth Friday in November isn't treated with the same sort of reverence it once was: Ever since Amazon started hosting Prime savings events in the fall, prompting other retailers to jumpstart their own year-end sales, "Black Friday" has become an informal season that lasts from early October into late November. Still, it remains the best time of year to grab a laptop on sale at a steal — and it's not just because stores like to take advantage of the holiday shopping surge.

Laptops get extra cheap around Black Friday (to the tune of 20 to 50% off) because it syncs up with when retailers and manufacturers are trying to offload their inventories ahead of next-gen refreshes at CES. For laptops that debuted at the beginning of the year, which are about to age out of their "current-gen" moniker, this often translates to year-round lows that knock hundreds of dollars off their normal sticker prices. Older laptops that are at least one generation removed, meanwhile, can plummet to the lowest prices of their entire lifespan as they're priced to move. (I've encountered some ancient Chromebooks on sale for less than $100 on Black Fridays past.)

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 was $200 off a month after launch as part of Amazon's 2023 Black Friday sale. Credit: Microsoft

While Apple and Microsoft don't operate on the same product cycles as everyone else, they both still have a strong presence on Black Friday at third-party retailers. Amazon and Best Buy are really good about putting older MacBooks and Surface laptops on sale at rock-bottom prices while also offering some initial deals on newer models that have only just launched. On Black Friday 2023, for example, they took $200 off the Surface Laptop Go 3 and $150 off the M3 MacBook Pro, respectively; both laptops had debuted a month prior.

Apple and Microsoft technically host their own Black Friday sales, too, but they usually aren't much to write home about. The famously stingy Apple Store only doles out free gift cards or accessories with the purchase of older MacBooks, and the Microsoft Store's prices are often trounced by its third-party peers.

SEE ALSO: Now is one of the best times to buy a MacBook

The real debate concerning Black Friday laptop deals revolves around whether consumers should shop early or hold off on buying until Black Friday proper, in case prices get even cheaper, and the answer boils down to whether you're eyeing specific models or specs. Retailers still reserve some deals for the actual holiday (always the Friday after Thanksgiving) even if their sales are weeks or months long, so it can be worth waiting to see which laptops get featured in that primetime slot. The trouble is that we rarely know what those featured laptops are ahead of time — and by the time they're live, the model you really wanted may be backordered or back to full price.

If you're married to a certain spec sheet and don't just want a good deal, period, I generally recommend buying a laptop as soon as it gets added to a Black Friday sale's roster. In the off-chance its deal improves, you can always tap the retailer's holiday price-match guarantee and/or return policy as a fallback plan.

Second-best time to buy: During back-to-school season

Whether it's a multitasking MacBook for a college freshman or a basic Chromebook for a fifth-grader, a laptop is a given on most school supply shopping lists. As such, laptop prices dependably tank in the summer to tempt students, their parents, and teachers preparing for the upcoming semester — typically from mid-June to early September.

The back-to-school season is so major for laptop purchases that it's the only time outside of Black Friday when the Apple Store runs one of its "sales," throwing in free gift cards with MacBook purchases from early June through early October. That's in addition to its usual education pricing, which saves students, parents, and faculty $100 on select MacBooks year-round.

Apple runs one of its rare gift card promos during the back-to-school season; the other happens during Black Friday. Credit: Apple

It's worth mentioning that Amazon's flagship Prime Day sale falls smack-dab in the middle of back-to-school season in mid-July, and it's one of the only times when shoppers can source a slew of legitimately good laptop deals there besides Black Friday. (More on that later.) For instance, Prime Day 2023 featured a special invite-only deal that dropped the price of an Acer Swift X by over 40%.

Crucially, Prime Day can also be lucrative for laptop shoppers because it goads other retailers into running competing sales, which often match or beat Amazon's prices. (Best Buy's Prime Day counter-programming tends to be Amazon's toughest rival when it comes to tech deals.) Prices aren't quite as low as they are on Black Friday, but it's still enough to make Prime Day worth marking on your calendar.

Third-best time to buy: Over holiday weekends

Retailers are partial to offering deals on big-ticket tech purchases like laptops over federal holiday weekends, the big ones being Presidents' Day weekend (in mid-February), Memorial Day weekend (in late May), the Fourth of July, and Labor Day (in early September, coinciding with the end of back-to-school season). You won't find extreme discounts like you do in the thick of back-to-school season or Black Friday, but they're above average for the "off-season."

Honorable mention: Buy right after new models are announced

Pay attention to new laptop launches even if you don't want the latest tech, as they often trigger quiet sales or price drops on the older models they're replacing. For most laptop brands, this usually means deals start trickling out after the CES dust settles in late January and into February.

Apple's 13-inch M2 Apple MacBook Air got two permanent price drops during its lifespan. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

Apple and Microsoft refreshes are, again, a little less predictable timing-wise, but they're just as reliable when it comes to previous-gen discounts. You might recall the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air getting a permanent $100 price cut when its 15-inch counterpart debuted, then another $100 chop once the latest M3 version materialized. And the original Surface Laptop Studio went on sale for $500 off the week after its successor was announced.

Not all retailers are created equal

Shopping for a new laptop is as much a game of "when" as it is "where."

Between major online retailers, I typically find the most laptop configurations (and the best laptop deals) at Best Buy. That includes current- and previous-gen MacBooks, plus a broad range of Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and gaming laptops across all major brands; it's the exclusive retail partner for a slew of current-gen Copilot+ PCs.

SEE ALSO: The 3 best laptops of 2025 (so far)

Amazon comes next. It consistently stocks and discounts recent MacBooks as well as a more random selection of Copilot+ PCs, Chromebooks, and entry-level to mid-range gaming laptops. Walmart has the most limited inventory out of the three and mainly dabbles in older Windows laptops, gaming laptops, low-end Chromebooks, and the M1 MacBook Air. (It's Apple's exclusive retailer partner for the original M-series notebook.)

With that in mind, I want to flag some quirks about these retailers that can complicate shoppers' buying experience in some way or another. One is that Amazon and Best Buy intermittently inflate laptops' original sticker prices, which can make discounts look better than they actually are. This also sometimes happens in the reverse, where a deflated MSRP is concealing better-than-advertised savings. But getting duped into a lousy deal is a less happy surprise.

Amazon listed this Acer gaming laptop on sale for $769.99, down from $844.99. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon The exact same model had an original price of $779.99 on Acer's website. You're actually saving $10, not $65. Credit: Screenshot: Acer.com Best Buy listed this Acer gaming laptop on sale for $1,099.99, down from $1,499.99. Credit: Screenshot: Best Buy The exact same model had an original price of $1,449.99 on Acer's website. You're actually saving $350, not $400. Credit: Screenshot: Acer.com

Furthermore, Amazon and Walmart are teeming with laptop listings from third-party merchants that shoppers should approach with caution. (Best Buy also hosts third-party sellers as of mid-2025, though I haven't encountered any selling laptops yet. I'll update this story if that changes.)

Amazon's third-party sellers may use different customer service policies than their hosts, while Walmart's MarketPlace Sellers may have different return policies or warranty terms. And let's not forget that counterfeit products are an ongoing issue for both retailers.

This isn't to say that all third-party sellers are evil scammers. (You can usually tell based on their reviews.) It's also important to note that Amazon and Walmart both have guarantees in place to offer recourse if shoppers have problems with third-party sellers, provided they're eligible. Still, I don't think it's worth the risk or the hassle when it comes to a big-ticket purchase — a cheap shirt or dinky knick-knack, maybe, but certainly not a laptop. Reddit is filled with enough horror stories to reinforce this caginess.

In March 2025, you could buy a configuration of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 from a third-party Amazon seller for $1,349.99 (and get a free stylus)... Credit: Screenshot: Amazon ...Or you could buy the same laptop directly from Amazon for $40 more. Go with Amazon for peace of mind. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon A third-party Walmart seller was selling this Asus Vivobook S 16 Flip for a hair less than Walmart itself in March 2025. Credit: Screenshot: Walmart Just get it from Walmart. You're not technically getting the lowest price, but you know exactly who you're buying from. (The difference is negligible, anyway). Credit: Screenshot: Walmart

I'll give the big A and W some credit, though: They usually clean up their acts for Prime Day and Black Friday. I see lots more retailer-direct laptop listings on both sites during those major sales. Look for "Ships from/Sold by Amazon.com" and "Sold and shipped by Walmart.com" labels below the "Add to cart" buttons on their product pages. You can also filter your Walmart searches by seller.

It's important to remember that you can avoid these issues entirely by buying from laptop manufacturers themselves, which maintain their own online storefronts offer their own discounts year-round. At the very least, these are extremely useful for price checks against Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart listings to make sure their discounts are worthwhile.

How to tell if you're getting a good laptop deal

Being wary of third-party sellers and cross-checking listings between laptop retailers and manufacturers are two of the best ways to ensure you're making a smart purchase. I also recommend appraising discounts using price-tracking tools like CamelCamelCamel and Google's Shopping Insights feature. They can tell you whether a laptop you're considering has ever gone on sale for cheaper, if at all.

Finally, consider bookmarking Mashable's shopping experts' deals coverage. In recommending laptop deals, we personally vet every single discount and stick with trusted sellers. Whether the computer you wind up buying is brand new or just new to you, we strive to make sure you can confidently say that your money was well spent.

Gone are the days of clip-on pedometers. Now, it's all about tech wearables that maximize your physical potential with round-the-clock vitals monitoring — but I'm not talking about an Apple Watch or Fitbit. The next evolution of fitness trackers is here, and it's the smart ring.

Smart rings monitor your health in a tiny, inconspicuous package. At first glance, they look like any other piece of jewelry, a simple gold or silver ring. But with tiny sensors, these rings track biometrics through your finger. Yes, they'll track your step count and calories burned, but more advanced technology allows them to track sleep and stress levels, all detected through heart rate and variability.

If you're looking to gain deeper insights into your health, a smart ring will help you do that, and, we've vetted the most popular models on the market through weeks of testing to find the best smart ring.

And if you are ready to buy a smart ring or fitness tracker, Prime Big Deal Days presents an exceptional time to do just that. We've spotted early days on fitness trackers from Apple, FitBit, and Garmin, but nothing on smart rings yet. But we'll be deal hunting all throughout Amazon's October Prime Day, keeping our eyes peeled for deals on Oura, Ultrahuman, and more.

What's the best smart ring?

The smart ring market is ever-growing, with new models debuting each year. Samsung just launched a smart ring in 2024, and while Apple doesn't have a smart ring on the market yet, we're sure it will be here in a matter of time. But smart rings are synonymous with the Oura Ring, a leader in the field, and for good reason. After spending weeks with the device, testing its hype, and comparing it to other devices, we can confidently say Oura makes the best smart ring in 2025.

Oura offers the most expansive biometric tracking, monitoring your health around the clock. It focuses on daily and long-term health goals more holistically than other rings.

However, the Oura Ring has downsides, like a monthly subscription fee. If you're not down for a monthly fee, we tested some popular alternatives to Oura rings.

Why should you buy a smart ring? So you think you want a smart ring? Here's what you need to know about the latest tech wearable. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Smart rings are not just another fitness tracker. Yes, they do track your activity, steps, and calories burned. However, they're really meant to offer a more holistic view of your health so you can gain deeper insights into your sleep habits, cardiovascular health, and more.

You're a good candidate for a smart ring if you hate the look of a smartwatch or fitness tracker with LED screens, which are categorically not cool. Smart rings are posed as a discreet option, looking like a regular piece of jewelry. However, to be frank, they don't blend in that well. In my weeks of testing, while wearing the rings during hangouts, someone would inevitably ask me, "What's that?"

Since a smart ring doesn't have a screen, you have to pull out your phone and open an app whenever you want to track activity. That's certainly not the end of the world, but if you convert from a smartwatch, you'll miss the convenience of tapping your wrist. That being said, I actually find a smart ring most useful when paired with a smartwatch. I ran all my testing while simultaneously wearing an Apple Watch, and I appreciated the smart rings that were compatible with my watch so I could receive push notifications.

The latest smart ring news

If I were to assign the superlative of 'Most Dramatic' to any tech product, it would be to smart rings. In between new product and feature launches, the smart ring beat is abuzz with brand conflicts, privacy concerns, and swelling batteries.

Oura ring: New ceramic rings, blood tests, and Palantir

In early September, the internet was swirling with concerns around data privacy with Oura. After an announcement of Oura's continued partnership with the United States Military as well as the use of Palantir software being used in this venture, users were concerned about their data. Oura has clarified that Palantir has no access to user data.

Things have since settled down since Oura clarified its partnership. The brand recently launched the Oura Ring 4 in ceramic, which comes in four new colors. Plus, the brand launched multi-device pairing as well as health panels, which analyze users blood work through a Quest Diagnostics partnership.

Ultrahuman: Are they still available in the United States?

Earlier this year, Oura won a patent dispute against Ultrahuman and Ringcon, claiming its competitors purchased Oura rings to reverse engineer the curved battery. The International Trade Commission ruled in Oura's favor, resulting in Ultrahuman and Ringcon no longer being able to import to the US as of October 21, 2025. But does that mean the devices are going away? Not really.

In an email with Ultrahuman representation, they clarified that the brand can no longer import to the U.S. or sell the ring via Ultrahuman's website after October 21. However, other retailers such as Amazon or Best Buy can still sell the product past that date. This ruling only applies to the Ultrahuman Ring Air device, and the brand has implied that a new device may be on the way.

Samsung: Reports of battery swelling on the rise

The Samsung Galaxy Ring, which we recommend to those already in the Samsung ecosystem, has also been in the news lately. A YouTuber named Daniel, who runs the channel ZONEofTECH, alleged that his Samsung Galaxy Ring began swelling as he was boarding a plane. Daniel reportedly had to go to the hospital to get the ring removed. The swelling appears to come from the Samsung ring's battery, which tends to swell inward, preventing users from being able to remove it. This is not the first report of a Samsung ring's battery swelling, but it is the first where a user had to go to the hospital.

John Anderton, the chief of a futuristic police force known as PreCrime, stands before a large translucent screen. He is waiting for a ball, which indicates a future crime, to drop. Anderton, a character played by Tom Cruise in the 2002 film Minority Report, represents a world where all premeditated crime has been eradicated, aided by a hybrid system of tech and meta-humans that can predict and spot ne'er-do-wells. 

The concept feels both futuristic and familiar. The original source material might have been published in 1956, but two decades after Minority Report was released, and a little more than two decades before the events of the film will take place, we're actually closer to that world than ever before — and we can thank AI. 

SEE ALSO: Open AI, Google, and Anthropic all offer AI tutors for students. Do they work? A crime-fighting AI assistant?

Herman DeBoard is the founder and CEO of Airez, a small AI start-up pitching a revolutionary real-time security system that uses AI neural networks to spot potential crime. 

I posed the Minority Report comparison to DeBoard. "That's pretty close to what we've created here," he said, although they normally get compared to Skynet, the malevolent superintelligence system from the Terminator series. He said PreCrime's human overseers in Minority Report, who have to vote on whether or not to act on a crime ball, mirror the agentic system they've set up. 

Here's how it actually works: A client, say a Vegas casino or an NFL stadium, reaches out to Airez about streamlining their security systems. The Airez team runs a non-invasive pilot, which involves the client sending over facility sensor data (mainly video footage, but eventually audio recordings, security systems, environmental or biometric information, you name it), which is then run through the Airez model. Airez scans through the information, flagging any pieces of data that stand out as anomalous. 

"We give you contextual stories of what's happening. Everything from an emotional evaluation of the people involved, how tall they are, what their cultural makeup is, what they're wearing, to what direction they're walking and what they actually did." They're looking at how the environment around them changed too, DeBoard explains. "We paint these pictures in little 60-second clips, and then we send them to a security operations center or someone who's monitoring this."

To paraphrase DeBoard: Airez is merely looking for things that are out of place. 

If the facility likes what Airez finds and signs on, the company launches a full integration, connecting the Airez software and dashboard to the facility's existing security system. The company can provide additional sensors, like infrared cameras or Airez's multi-patented FoRi (Fiber Optic Ring Interferometer) system, which captures vibrations or audio signals and determines precise geographic locations. It was designed by a former lead scientist at Halliburton and expands on existing fiber optic tech for listening to oil leaks in the ocean — it's mainly deployed in parking garage pilots, for now. Airez is ready to start monitoring right away, no acclimation period needed.

She's merely looking for things that are out of place.

The AI is a "true agentic AI system," DeBoard says, utilizing real machine learning built on multiple Large Language Models (LLMs) and Vision Language Models (VLMs). He explains it as a proprietary blend of in-house and external models that form a super-powered GPT with contextual intelligence, fusing data from cameras, sensors, and external feeds. The company is currently running active pilot programs with three transportation networks — an interstate public transit provider and two inner-city public transit systems — and an international oil and gas company.

He speaks of "her" — DeBoard describes the AI as female — with a sense of awe. 

"This is going to sound a little creepy. It does to me, and I'm the creator, but she's currently cognitive," DeBoard says, insisting he's not delusional. "She has the five senses. She even can smell. We do gas sensors and ammonia sensors. And then she makes sense of it in a way that she can then speak to you."

DeBoard wants Airez to talk to clients like the semi-sentient AIs that proliferate popular culture; a "living, breathing creature" birthed from a simple structure. She can text her clients or send them video run-downs of what's going on at their facilities. Eventually he wants her to be able to act autonomously based on the sensor data, like deploying drones that can investigate anomalies. 

"She would see where the emergency exits are, and she could start to calmly talk to people with a voice. She could start to change screens. She could lower the temperature a little bit to get people more calm." 

I can't help but recall the AI-computer-turned-antagonist VIKI, also a hyper intelligent algorithm in the casing of a human woman, from I, Robot, starring Will Smith. I tell DeBoard (somewhat jokingly) that the only difference between Airez and Minority Report's process is that Airez doesn't have the psychic, future-telling abilities of PreCrime. Not yet, he says, but maybe soon.

DeBoard believes the vast trove of information held in LLMs and VLMs is not being used to its full potential. Airez, instead, sees a vision of the future, DeBoard says. The AI could be deployed to any industry, any venue, any client, seamlessly, as an all-purpose security system, he claims, adding it could one day monitor operational efficiency or consumer trends for marketing.

"We want to use AI to make humanity's situation better, not worse," says DeBoard. 

An artificial Big Brother?

Darrell West, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and co-editor-in-chief of TechTank, tells Mashable that AI is being integrated across firms in the security sector. "AI is very good at pinpointing anomalies and then referring those situations to a human who can then assess if it is really a problem," he explained. "This has been happening for a while, but the tools are getting more powerful and there is more information available. Just on the video side, there's been a tremendous proliferation of cameras in public places."

Privacy watchdogs have kept their eyes trained on AI's integration into mass surveillance systems, including the use of algorithms to scour and flag "dissenting" opinions or improper behavior on social media and in workplaces. 

"AI can’t understand human behavior — it’s a pattern-recognition machine trained on data that’s rife with society’s biases, and so its output reflects those biases too. If paired with invasive technologies such as face recognition, which itself reflects biases and makes errors that have led to false arrests, the potential harm is exponential," says Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). 

West also says that the advancement of AI stokes greater privacy fears, especially in a country with no national privacy laws. Companies in the space should have short data storage times and publicly disclose the use of surveillance tools, he says. Americans may want crime tools to fight crime, but they value freedom even more, he adds.

DeBoard has heard the concerns before, and explained that Airez doesn't focus on facial or license plate recognition tech — two hot button topics among watchdogs — because of their inherent privacy risks. That being said, Airez can help clients add the additional features if they want them. Airez is also instructed not to build personal profiles of people caught on camera in their client's venues, which would pose a potential nightmare in places under specific privacy laws, like hospitals.

"I agree that we shouldn’t normalize unnecessary surveillance. That’s not what Airez is about," says DeBoard. "Our focus is on event detection, not personal profiling. We’re not interested in who someone is — we’re interested in whether an unsafe event is occurring, like a weapon being brought into a school, a patient collapsing in a hallway, or a worker entering a restricted substation without PPE."

"But you can't walk down the city street these days without being on camera," he adds. "Whether you want to be or not, you're on the camera. There's cameras at every retail establishment. There's cameras at restaurants. There's street cameras. If you have a phone, you're being listened to right now. So all we're doing, essentially, is being a real time data analyst."

Parents were wary of piloting Airez in a school transportation system, DeBoard notes. Specifically, they didn't like the idea of more cameras on their kids. "Their kids are already on video. Their kids are everywhere on social media, most of them anyway, and we don't transmit that data. All of that data stays with the school system, and once we show them that path, they're usually fine."

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and other entities have been resolutely against government and private industries using AI to make decisions that impact quality of life, like mortgage approvals, job hiring, federal benefits, and, in the case of Airez's real-time security tools, any sort of crime prediction. "The underlying idea that employees and/or the public should be in a constant fishbowl of all-seeing, all-hearing surveillance is terrifying, especially at a time when civil liberties are threatened by creeping authoritarianism," Guariglia says. 

But Airez doesn't decide to act on a potential crime, it just notes when something weird is going on. DeBoard himself says concerns about AI are warranted, but should be directed toward the tech's creators and industry power holders. The public should interrogate their motives. He evoked the recent public killing of Charlie Kirk and the fatal crowd crush incident at Travis Scott's 2021 Astroworld festival as examples of where Airez could have intervened. "For us, it’s not about normalizing surveillance — it’s about making the data that’s already there work smarter to protect people’s lives."

And what about this growing anxiety around safety in public spaces? Could artificial intelligence allay such worries? "There's not a strong correlation between fear and actual crime. The fear almost always outruns actual crime statistics," says West. "And I don't think an AI tool is going to reduce people's fears." 

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When NASA announced its 10 newest astronaut trainees during a recent ceremony, the women on stage outnumbered the men for the first time in the space agency's history: Six of the recruits who will train for future missions to the moon — and potentially Mars — are female. 

But with that milestone apparently came another: the first astronaut class in 40 years without any Black candidates. The most recent class to not include any Black men or women was group 11 in 1985, NASA's history office confirmed for Mashable. 

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has ended federal diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives by executive order, including at the U.S. space agency, calling them "illegal and immoral discrimination programs." Within weeks, NASA had closed some offices and removed some content from its website about minorities. 

At the livestreamed ceremony in Houston on Sept. 22, officials emphasized that the latest inductees into astronaut training represented the "best and brightest" among 8,000 applicants. 

"We know that you represent your families. You represent your communities. You represent NASA, which is the most respected and revered agency in the whole wide world — no pressure," said Acting Administrator Sean Duffy, who is also transportation secretary. "But most importantly, you represent America — the greatest, most innovative, creative country that's ever existed on the face of the Earth." 

Whether the White House's DEI order had any effect on the astronaut selection process is unclear. It's also not known whether the agency remains committed to the goal of including a person of color in its upcoming Artemis III moon-landing crew. NASA spokespeople did not respond directly to written questions from Mashable for this story. Instead, NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens provided a statement that only addressed the 2025 astronaut class, suggesting that race and gender were not considerations.

SEE ALSO: Webb captured this stunning nursery of baby stars. It's massive. Black Americans at NASA

NASA, like most parts of the federal government in the mid-20th century, was slow to include Black people in roles both inside and outside the spaceship. In the 1950s and '60s, all astronauts were white men. 

The shift occurred in 1978, when the agency selected 35 pilots and mission specialists for the space shuttle program, according to a NASA feature no longer available on its website which can be accessed through internet archives. That class, known as group eight, included three Black recruits, one of whom, Guion Bluford, became the first Black American in space during Challenger's STS-8 mission in 1983. 

NASA astronaut Guion Bluford exercises on a treadmill during the STS-8 spaceflight in 1983. Credit: NASA

By the mid-1980s, NASA had become more focused on racial and ethnic diversity. It consistently selected at least one Black recruit per astronaut class starting in 1987 with Mae Jemison, who became the first Black woman in space five years later. Hiring of more underrepresented minorities extended to other NASA jobs as well, including research and engineering roles. 

Up until this year, NASA has emphasized its commitment to putting a woman and person of color on the moon during its Artemis III moon-landing mission, which could happen as early as 2027 following Artemis II next year.

"Representing the diversity of the American public is critical to the future of NASA’s human exploration missions," the agency said in a news release in 2021.

In a statement to Mashable, NASA Press Secretary Stevens did not address whether NASA still intends to include a person of color in the Artemis III crew or sentiments concerning the agency's overall views on diversity in the astronaut corps. She spoke only to the latest astronaut class' selection process.

"NASA astronauts are chosen through a rigorous process overseen by an objective selection board, based on education, physical fitness, applicable experience, and more. Each astronaut candidate is selected because they are the most qualified and capable to advance NASA’s mission: exploring for the benefit of America, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and inspiring the world."

"NASA astronauts are chosen through a rigorous process overseen by an objective selection board, based on education, physical fitness, applicable experience, and more," Stevens said. "Each astronaut candidate is selected because they are the most qualified and capable to advance NASA’s mission: exploring for the benefit of America, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and inspiring the world."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Diversity in astronomy and aerospace

General efforts to increase the representation of people of color in astronomy have existed for many years. The American Astronomical Society released a decadal position paper on the state of the profession in 2010, finding that "African American, Hispanic, and Native American" individuals remained markedly underrepresented in the field. Without a five- to tenfold increase in doctoral degrees awarded to these racial and ethnic minorities each year, parity would be decades away, according to the paper. 

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"There is demonstrated evidence that STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] fields benefit from diverse perspectives on problems that require more complex thought processes," the authors wrote. "This is especially relevant to a field like astronomy where more and more work is being done collaboratively."

In the 2022 NASA documentary, The Color of Space, retired astronaut Joan Higginbotham, who is Black, said it's important for people of color to see professionals who look like them in various fields.

"It shows you right there, the people that are there, that you can touch, that you can feel, that you can reach out to, that you can talk to," said Higginbotham, who became an astronaut in 1996 after nine years as a NASA electrical engineer. "If they can do it, then there's a chance for me to do it, too."

NASA astronaut class 2025

The 2025 astronaut candidates include Ben Bailey, Lauren Edgar, Adam Fuhrmann, Cameron Jones, Yuri Kubo, Rebecca Lawler, Anna Menon, Imelda Muller, Erin Overcash, and Katherine Spies, who are all between the ages of 34 and 43, according to NASA. The new class includes a U.S. Army chief warrant officer, a geologist, and six test pilots. Most of the test pilots come from the U.S. Air Force and Navy, with one serving as a test pilot for United Airlines. 

A NASA spokesperson told the New York Times that Kubo's father was of Japanese heritage but that she did not know the racial identities of the other astronaut trainees, according to a recent report. Apart from photos, NASA has not released information on the new recruits' racial and ethnic backgrounds in their bios or related materials.

Among the new recruits is Edgar, 40, who spent more than 17 years supporting NASA's Mars rovers as a geologist, and Menon, 39, who has already traveled to space on SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission in 2024. Serving as that commercial mission's medical director, Menon beat her husband, NASA astronaut Anil Menon, to spaceflight. Anil Menon entered astronaut training in 2021 and recently received his first crew assignment for work at the International Space Station in June 2026. 

The 2025 astronaut class will train for two years at NASA's Johnson Space Center before becoming eligible to fly in space. Their education will involve lessons in Russian, geology, survival, and space medicine. The trainees also will perform exercises in high-performance jets and underwater simulations. 

NASA astronaut Victor Glover participates in an Artemis II training exercise at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 20, 2023. Credit: Frank Michaux / NASA Artemis crew selections

NASA is gearing up for its second Artemis mission next year — the first with passengers — which will send a crew on a 10-day journey into deep space, flying by the moon without ever landing on it. Astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch, assigned to this mission in 2023, will be the first person of color and woman, respectively, to fly on a lunar mission. The crew will also include an international colleague, Jeremy Hansen, who is a Canadian astronaut. Their spaceflight will set the stage for Artemis III, the first human moon landing since Apollo 17 more than 50 years ago.

In a 2023 interview with Mashable, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman said the most exciting aspect of the mission is the people with whom he's going. 

"Look at my crewmates, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy," Wiseman said. "We're a slice of North America, and we're a slice of our planet right now. That is awesome, and I'm incredibly excited to go fly with these heroes."

Though diversity was never explicitly mentioned at the September ceremony, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, congratulated the six female recruits who will join the astronaut corps. NASA currently has just 41 active astronauts eligible for spaceflight. Since the original Mercury Seven in 1959, the agency has only selected 370 people to become astronauts. The majority have been white men.

"I have to admit," Cruz said, "as a 'girl dad' with two teenage girls, ages 14 and 17, I'm particularly proud of all the women here, and the fact that with Artemis, America is going to put the first woman on the surface of the moon in the history of mankind."

In the mood for something scary? There's nothing quite like the fresh thrill of a great horror movie. That tingle that runs down your spine. The goosebumps that prick at your skin. The hard, cold thumping that hits your heart. Yet seriously scary is only one flavor of horror, a genre that welcomes pestering poltergeists and wicked witches alongside lovable zombies and creepy kids. Whatever kind of mood you're in, we've got a pick for you, right from Prime Video. 

The library of Prime Video is vast but ever-changing, so we've scoured their stacks to curate a current collection sure to thrill, chill, and delight. Whether you want soul-scorching psychological thrillers, haunted house horror, spine-tingling classics, modern masterpieces, or something as ghoulish as it is goofy, we've got you.

Here are the best horror movies now on Prime Video.

1. Suspiria (2018) Credit: Amazon Studios / Moviestore / Shutterstock

This 2018 Suspiria remake has been described by director Luca Guadagnino and star Tilda Swinton as a "cover" of Dario Argento's 1977 classic — exploring rather than mimicking Argento's perspective on supernatural horror. With this mission in mind, Suspiria is a gratifying watch that exemplifies how identical genre tropes can be employed for disparate emotional effects. Yes, it's all fear, but fear of different kinds that present an unsettling experience unto itself. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter 

How to watch: Suspiria (2018) is now streaming on Prime Video.

2. Deathdream (1974)

Six years after George A. Romero modernized the horror genre by injecting political allegory into it with Night of the Living Dead, Deathdream tackled the ongoing nightmare of the Vietnam War by telling the story of a soldier killed in action who nevertheless goes and returns to his family home, albeit a changed man. Very changed. Specifically, he is now one who sits around in sunglasses all day and then goes out and steals people's blood via syringe every night. 

Director Bob Clark (best known for the holiday duology of A Christmas Story and Black Christmas) and his Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things writer Alan Ormsby were the masterminds behind this deeply disturbed folk tale, which turned the very real PTSD that returning veterans and their families were going through into the stuff of symbolic and scary horror. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Deathdream is now streaming on Prime Video.

3. Let the Right One In (2008) Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Although Matt Reeves’ 2010 American remake Let Me In (which is streaming on Max) is better than it has any right being, the 2008 Swedish original from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy director Tomas Alfredson cannot be beaten — yes, even if you take into account the hilariously bad CG cat attack scene.

One of the greatest vampire movies ever made, Let the Right One In is basically just that infamous line from Notting Hill ever so lightly twisted, where it’s a “girl” standing in front of a boy asking him to love her... which can be a grim business when the girl is a literal bloodsucker. Ain’t love grand? — J.A.

How to watch: Let the Right One In is now streaming on Prime Video.

4. Terrifier 2

Admittedly, the Terrifier movies aren’t for everybody. As they appeal to the most depraved and hardcore of horror movie fans, we don’t recommend this to anyone whose idea of the ultimate spooky night in front of the TV is watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca. Not a knock against Rebecca, which is grand. It's just that these movies are scratching very, very different itches. The scratches that the Terrifier movies deliver will leave a whole lot of oozing skin flaps on the floor. 

I can’t even say that these movies, which detail the sadistic impulses of the unhinged Art the Clown as he bounces from one victim to the next, are “good” per se. But the second one is far more accomplished (and far less sexist) than the first, and the bit that’s come to be known as “the bedroom scene” giddily reigns in gore-hound hell for a reason. — J.A.

How to watch: Terrifier 2 is now streaming on Prime Video.

5. Drag Me to Hell Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Almost 15 years on, it still shocks me that Evil Dead sicko maestro Sam Raimi managed to make a horror movie as utterly disgusting and deranged as he did with Drag Me to Hell while scoring a PG-13 rating. I think the people at the MPA must’ve had a curse-happy Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) on their own tails that they were trying to appease!

And yet as much fun as this movie is, and as widely platformed as it was, it was still a box office flop — our culture has so much to learn. For those of us who’re in the know, though, this is one of Raimi’s creepiest crawliest efforts. Once it straps you down, the ride it takes you and poor helpless bank officer Christine (Alison Lohman) on as she attempts to get a curse off her back is relentless, right up until its shocking final frames. — J.A.

How to watch: Drag Me to Hell is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

6. Red Eye Credit: Dreamworks LLC / Kobal / Shutterstock

You’d think that having somebody as preternaturally gorgeous as Cillian Murphy sit down next to you on an airplane would be a blessing! But Wes Craven said heck naw to that with Red Eye, his 2005 airplane thriller. Craven might be best known for slasher franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. On its surface, Red Eye might seem a different path, but it is still very much playing with the tropes that Craven had mastered in the subgenre he helped shape (twice). 

As Lisa (Rachel McAdams) realizes that the great big blue eyes of her seatmate – the hilariously named Jackson Rippner (Murphy) — are actually creepy and not sultry as originally advertised, Craven ratchets up the tension and the claustrophobia quick. And McAdams turns in yet another super underrated performance as a regular woman driven to extremes by Rippner’s bizarre and violent demands. The kind of movie the poster blurb “A real rollercoaster ride!” was invented for. — J.A.

How to watch: Red Eye is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

7. The Ring  Credit: Merrick Morton / Dreamworks LLC / Macdonald / Parkes Prods / Kobal / Shutterstock

Before you die, you should see The Ring! That’s how that tagline goes, right? Well close enough, and we won’t even enforce any seven-day time limit on you. Take that, impatient-girl-down-the-well. Gore Verbinski’s smash 2002 remake of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 J-horror classic kicked off a whole wave of creepy long-haired girls stalking about here in the States, but per usual it was all downhill from the start. 

One of the best horror films out of the Aughts, The Ring stars Naomi Watts as a journalist and a mom whose investigation into a creepy cursed videotape leaves a trail of mangled-face corpses in its wake. Watts loves herself a horror remake (see also Funny Games and Goodnight Mommy) but, again, The Ring remains the high-water mark. And Verbinski loads this sucker up with instantly iconic imagery. Just try to stand in front of a circular mirror brushing your long, black hair and not immediately picture centipedes, I double dog dare ya. — J.A.

How to watch: The Ring is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

8. As Above, So Below  Credit: Legendary / Universal / Brothers Dowdle / Kobal / Shutterstock

An extremely underrated entry in the found footage genre, 2014’s As Above, So Below (from Quarantine director John Erick Dowdle) drags us kicking and screaming deep down into the creepy catacombs rotting beneath modern-day Paris. As filmmakers have exclaimed for ages, “Location! Location! Location!” And it doesn’t get better than that.

Taking the baton from Neil Marshall’s masterpiece The Descent, this movie has its characters spelunking down crumbling nightmare corridors, ones that have our hair standing on end even before the monsters start showing up. As for the monsters? The last act when all is revealed has proven divisive, but I personally dig it. (Pun most certainly intended.) — J.A.

How to watch: As Above, So Below is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

9. The Night Eats the World

There’s a whole world of cinema out there to explore, and thankfully each and every person on the face of the planet is also afraid of zombies. This Paris-set undead apocalypse thriller from director Dominique Rocher finds actor Anders Danielsen Lie working in a somewhat different register than The Worst Person in the World or his other work with director Joachim Trier. Here he plays Sam, who wakes up after a raging house party trapped inside a fancy 6th arrondissement apartment building, besieged on all sides by brain-hungry ghouls. 

Running out of food and sanity in equal measure, Sam makes friends with the downstairs neighbor (Denis Lavant) who is a great listener, mostly because he’s a zombie trapped behind a metal gate. The Night Eats the World is more character-focused than our American zombie flicks tend to be, and all the more despairing because of it. — J.A.

How to watch: The Night Eats the World is now streaming on Prime Video.

10. Nanny Credit: Prime Video

Senegalese writer-director Nikyatu Jusu made a massive first impression with her feature debut Nanny, a psychological horror film reminiscent of Repulsion but steeped in the unease of the immigrant experience. Anna Diop stars as Aisha, an undocumented immigrant living in New York City who takes on the child-rearing duties of Rose (Rose Decker), the daughter of a well-to-do Manhattan couple (played by Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector). 

Aisha is desperate to make enough money to bring her own son to the U.S. from Senegal, where she had to leave him behind. But tormented by disturbing visions of drowning, Aisha starts coming undone, and when Rose’s mother becomes an enemy, things grow increasingly unsettling for everybody. — J.A.

How to watch: Nanny is now streaming on Prime Video.

11. Dead & Buried (1981)

We do love ourselves a "seaside town with a secret" horror story (see also: Messiah of Evil), and 1981’s Dead & Buried ranks up there among the creepiest of them all. 

Based on the novel by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and adapted by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett (who co-wrote Alien), Dead & Buried is perched somewhere between The Fog and Re-Animator. Dead & Buried tells the tale of Potter's Bluff, a small town on the California coast where the locals can't seem to stop themselves from brutally murdering all of the tourists. ("Living the dream," coos any NYC resident.) Awash in that musty barnacled atmosphere that lovers of this subgenre live for, this classic's got the bloody goods. — J.A. 

How to watch: Dead & Buried is now streaming on Prime Video.

12. The Neon Demon (2016)  Credit: Space Rocket Nation / Vendian / Bold / Kobal / Shutterstock

If Vogue released an issue in collaboration with the Necronomicon, its contents might resemble something like director Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon. Starring Elle Fanning as a doomed ingénue, this stylish fever dream explores the Los Angeles modeling scene for an indictment of Western beauty standards and commercialization that's as captivating as it is biting. — A.F.

How to watch: The Neon Demon is now streaming on Prime Video.

13. [REC] (2007)

The first three of the four total [REC] films are streaming on Amazon, and we thoroughly REC-comend that you watch all of them. They're very different movies but all a blast in their individual ways. That said, there's no place better to begin than the beginning, and there's no scarier place to be than right inside Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza's terrifying found-footage masterpiece that kicks off the series. 

Following ace on-the-scene TV news reporter (and final girl icon) Ángela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) on a routine assignment covering a firehouse, we watch a boring story become anything but as Ángela and her cameraman Pablo (Pablo Rosso) find themselves trapped inside an apartment building with a horde of bloodthirsty rampaging undead. Notable for one of the greatest all-time ending scares, one that has been ripped off mercilessly ever since. — J.A. 

How to watch: [REC] is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video, as are [REC] 2 and [REC] 3.

14. Master (2022) Credit: Amazon Studios

Often, when horror movies are set on college campuses, they're schlocky slashers with sorority sisters being ripped to shreds. Here, however, writer/director Mariama Diallo spins a unique horror story about the ghosts of America's past and how they still haunt us. At a prestigious university, lore lingers of a lynched witch who still causes chaos. Freshman Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee) believes she is the latest victim, but Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), who has just been appointed the first Black master of the university, begins to suspect the insidious evil isn't supernatural. Is it just racism? Her quest to understand the seedy underbelly of the school leads her to uncomfortable places and harrowing realizations. With a shadowy atmosphere and a creeping sense of dread, Diallo submerges us into the mindset of her haunted heroes. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: Master is now streaming on Prime Video.

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15. Nope (2022) Credit: Universal Pictures

Writer-director Jordan Peele done gone and done it again with this "Watch the skies!" horror, which somehow smashes up Hollywood history with evil alien shenanigans, whilst also sneaking in a message about racialized invisibility beside the blood rain and face-eating chimpanzees. And if you’re keeping count, that makes the man fully three-for-three after Get Out and Us, putting him by my estimation already among the ranks of horror masters such as John Carpenter and David Cronenberg. We will look back on this run with astonishment in a couple of decades.

Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya star as animal trainer siblings mourning their father as a strange presence simultaneously makes itself known in the clouds above his ranch. Nope escalates into absolute madness as it rockets toward its surreal WTF of a conclusion. And with every Peele joint comes a new iconography, be it “the Sunken Place” or red jumpsuits and golden scissors. After Nope, I doubt any of us will ever be able to look at those little strands of colored flags or those dancing air tube men ever the same. Not to mention chimpanzees wearing party hats. — J.A.   

How to watch: Nope is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

16. Hellraiser (1987) 

From the phenomenally twisted mind of Clive Barker, the original Hellraiser is as scary today as it ever was. Descend into this puzzling world of monstrous torture (see what I did there?) with genre icon Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley, facing off against protagonist Kirsty, played by Ashley Laurence. No matter where you stand on the most recent Hellraiser installments, it's hard to deny that this 1987 nightmare is an all-time great. — A.F. 

How to watch: Hellraiser is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

17. Event Horizon (1997) Credit: Andrew Macpherson / Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock

You can’t really call Event Horizon “Hellraiser in space” because the Hellraiser franchise did actually go into outer space with its fourth film titled Bloodline (which you should not under any circumstances watch). But Event Horizon is kinda sorta “Hellraiser in space” anyway. Hell, it’s a far better “Hellraiser in space” than Hellraiser: Bloodline ended up being! 

Telling the very Alien-sounding tale of a crew of space-jockeys (led by Laurence Fishburne, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, and Sam Neill) who stumble upon a distress signal that would’ve been best left un-stumbled-upon, Paul W.S. Anderson’s film is shockingly gruesome for a big-budget picture with so many name actors aboard. Nobody expected to see the nice scientist from Jurassic Park claw his own eyes out! And yet that’s just the tip of what Event Horizon has in store for you. — J.A. 

How to watch: Event Horizon is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

18. Inferno (1980)

The middle film in Italian maestro Dario Argento’s “Three Mothers” trilogy — sandwiched between 1977’s master-work Suspiria and 2007’s decidedly-not-a-masterwork Mother of Tears — Inferno usually receives a mixed reception, but I’m here to say “No!” (That’s “no” in Italian.) Is Inferno absolute nonsense from start to finish? Of course it is. I couldn’t even begin to summarize the story, which skips back and forth between Rome and New York City and involves so many red herrings that you could repopulate the oceans and still have leftovers for Friday Night Fish Fry. I’ve seen this movie half a dozen times, and I still have no idea what happens in it. 

But it’s some of the most stylish and spooky nonsense you’ll ever see, pushing Suspiria’s already bursting technicolor palette past its breaking point, then around the globe and past it a second time for good measure. — J.A.

How to watch: Inferno is now streaming on Prime Video.

19. Saint Maud (2021) Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

If religious horror is what your dark heart desires, then your prayers are answered with Saint Maud. Critics heralded writer/director Rose Glass's feature film debut as a horror masterpiece, and it's easy to see why. Morfydd Clark gives a riveting and nerve-rattling performance as Maud, a hospice nurse who's tasked with caring for the body. But her bigger goal is to save the soul of her decadent new patient. Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) doesn't believe in God, but does believe in a good time. Her sensuality concerns and enchants Maud, pulling the two into a bond that will turn bitter and brutal. Weaving real religious rituals into the seductive spin of psychological horror, Glass creates a descent into hell that is a twisted delight to watch. — K.P.

How to watch: Saint Maud is now streaming on Prime Video.

20. The Dead Zone (1983)

We have no less than David Cronenberg to thank for one of the best Stephen King adaptations! Cronenberg and Christopher Walken, anyway, who made for a terrific team — shame those two never worked together again; there’s something irresistibly perfect about their weird union. But maybe that lightning could only strike the once, so celebrate the once we will. 

In The Dead Zone, Walken stars as Johnny Smith, a man who gets in a car accident and gains the ability to see people’s futures by shaking their hand. And that’s called “science” — look it up. Of course this gift turns out to be nothing but a curse, and before you know it, he’s firing rifles at politicians using babies for human shields. Que sera sera, and such. — J.A.

How to watch: The Dead Zone is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

21. House on Haunted Hill (1959) Credit: Allied Artists / Kobal / Shutterstock

What would a horror hits list be without a little Vincent Price? Though the actor reportedly disliked his work being defined as outright “horror,” this unforgettable face of fear appeared in more than 200 TV shows and films, including many of the scariest releases of the mid-20th century. Price's pointed features, slicked-back hair, and pencil mustache have been mimicked and referenced in countless horror homages. 

Though Price properly assumed the throne of horror king with the surprise success of House of Wax (1953), his later starring role in House on Haunted Hill (1959) offers a more complete vision of his legacy. Plus, famed B-movie director William Castle’s flick makes early use of the haunted dinner party premise, a particularly goofy trope that would pop up for decades, from Clue (1985) and The Last Supper (1995) to You're Next (2011) and Ready or Not (2019).* — A.F.

How to watch: House on Haunted Hill is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

22. Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Tim Robbins stars as a Vietnam vet losing his shit and then some in this nightmarish 1990 Adrian Lyne thriller. 

Sandwiched between Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal in Lyne’s sexy filmography, this one surely stands out, mostly because of all the tentacles. But the tentacles are made kind of sexy in Lyne’s hands, so it doesn’t actually stand out quite as much as you’d think! Especially in the infamous dance scene with Elizabeth Peña — playing a character named “Jezebel” because of course — where she gets her lusty groove on with some half-glimpsed hell monster. Still, Lyne proves deft at mixing his usual gauzy theatrics with squishy surrealism, and there are several images in Jacob’s Ladder that prove terrifyingly unforgettable. — J.A.

How to watch: Jacob’s Ladder is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

23. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The second film out of four total Body Snatchers tales (if you don’t count things like The Stepford Wives or the TV series BrainDead, which are variations on the theme) is also the best. Donald Sutherland stars as a health inspector in 1970s San Francisco (“That is a rat turd!”) who, along with his co-worker (Brooke Adams), discovers that pod people from outer space are taking over humanity (just roll with it). 

Director Philip Kaufman took the conspiracy thrillers of the decade (movies like The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor and added a good dose of sci-fi goopiness, milking the paranoia of the post-Nixon era quite literally. And extra praise must be heaped upon the supporting cast of Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Leonard Nimoy — not to mention an all-time great freak-out ending. — J.A.

How to watch: Invasion of the Body Snatchers is now streaming on Prime Video.

24. Train to Busan (2016) 

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan imagines the end of the world as a screamingly entertaining explosion of zombie mayhem and societal commentary brought on by a chemical spill. Terrifying, funny, and consistently original, this apocalyptic adventure is one of those films worth watching every single time you think of it. Seriously, it never gets old. — A.F.

How to watch: Train to Busan is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

25. Friday the 13th (1980) Credit: Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock

Why not revisit the original Voorhees-venture that kicked off all of the -ki-ki-ki -he-he-he’s in the first place? 

Before Jason had his hockey mask – heck, before we knew what a Jason was —there was nice little old lady Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) in her warm woolen sweater, giving camp counselors a helpful ride … straight to hell! 

The first crest in the slasher wave created by Halloween two years earlier, nobody thought Sean S. Cunningham’s little movie would be anything, including Cunningham himself. But 60 million dollars later, a legion of sequels and rip-offs and plush dolls have proven everyone very wrong. Turns out we were all waiting for Kevin Bacon to get an arrow shoved through his esophagus, we just didn’t know it yet. — J.A.

How to watch: Friday the 13th is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

26. Freaks (2019) Credit: Well Go USA / Moviestore / Shutterstock

A secret lurks beneath the surface of this claustrophobic thriller. Written and directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, Freaks begins with a surly little girl and her harried father hiding in a ramshackle house. Despite paternal warnings, Chloe (Lexy Kolker) is determined to venture outside, befriend the girl across the street, and get a frosty treat from the ice cream truck that’s always just out of reach. But she’s only beginning to understand the dangers beyond her door. Why they must hide hangs on a sci-fi twist that makes this mysterious movie distinctly satisfying and marvelously mind-blowing.* — K.P. 

How to watch: Freaks is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

27. The Deeper You Dig (2019)

If you relish a hidden gem of horror, you'll treasure this intimate indie ghost story. It all begins on a dark, snowy night when a teen girl (Zelda Adams) goes missing. Her single mother (Toby Poser) is deeply devoted, not only to finding her child but also to manifesting a reckoning if someone has hurt her. Her search for answers brings her close to a new neighbor (John Adams), who is haunted by a horrible secret ... and something more spirited. A lean and mean horror-thriller, The Deeper You Dig is even more fascinating when you know its three stars are wife, husband, and daughter, and that this is one of several movies they've written, directed, and starred in together as Wonder Wheel Productions. Let this be your gateway into their wild world of films. — K.P. 

How to watch: The Deeper You Dig is now streaming on Prime Video.

28. Hell House LLC (2015)

Found-footage aficionados know that digging through a lot of dreck is part of the gig; for every gem you’ll have to watch 10 duds. And even among the gems there are a lot of crutches the sub-genre leans on that you have to submit yourself to in order to get yourself to the scares. The biggest hurdle of all being the question: “Why the hell are these people filming everything and not running away for their lives?” 

Hell House LLC, which follows a group of kind of irritating youths setting up a haunted house attraction in a house that, whoopsie, turns out to be legitimately haunted, isn’t great at answering those questions. You have to meet it on its own terms. But if you’re willing to make the effort, it’s chock-full of nightmare imagery — all of those dressed-up prop dummies they find in the basement that keep popping up in new places? Fuel for a million bad dreams. — J.A.

How to watch: Hell House LLC  is now streaming on Prime Video.

29. Wolf Creek 2 (2013)

As Aliens was to Alien, so went Wolf Creek 2 to Wolf Creek — a bigger, meaner, wilder action-rollercoaster that took the smaller, subtler scares of the original and shot them off like a rocket. 

Writer-director Greg McLean amps everything up to 13 in this high-octane sequel to his 2005 Aussie outback slasher masterpiece, turning serial-killer Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) into a dusty Terminator who gets into outrageous Mad-Max-esque road fights that somehow escape the notice of the authorities every time. Not as scary as the original classic, no, but a hell of a lot of nasty fun. — J.A.

How to watch: Wolf Creek 2 is now streaming on Prime Video.

30. Night of the Living Dead (1968) Credit: Image Ten / Kobal / Shutterstock

What even is there left to say about George A. Romero’s horror masterpiece at this point on, 55 years after its release? That it created a new movie monster — there were "zombies" before, but not the way we know them today, which is entirely thanks to Romero. That it earned 250 times its original budget in its original release, revolutionizing independent cinema. That it’s a politically-minded molotov cocktail, sneaking in a message of racialized horror under its stark black-and-white surface. 

But most of all 55 years on, this story of seven strangers stranded in a farmhouse while the world turns to ghouls outside is still, somehow against all odds, utterly terrifying. I’ve watched little Karen turn on her mother with that gardening trowel more times than I could count, and it still sends all of the shudders down my spine anyway. — J.A.

How to watch: Night of the Living Dead is now streaming on Prime Video.

31. Zombie for Sale (2019) 

What if zombie bites weren’t all bad? More specifically, what if a nip from the undead would give the impotent new life below the belt? That’s the preposterous premise that kicks off this gleefully bonkers South Korean comedy. The Park family is scraping by running a battered gas station when their fortunes are turned by a zombie (Jung Ga-ram) with a rejuvenating bite. That’s just the first act of director Lee Min-jae’s playful horror-comedy. Family hijinks, ghoulish action, gross-out gags, and absurdly earnest romance also pop up, making for a movie that is chaotically charming and pleasantly unpredictable.* — K.P. 

How to watch: Zombie for Sale is now streaming on Prime Video.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Prime Video Get Deal

*denotes that the blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Oct. 2, 2025, 6:00 p.m. EDT This post has been updated to reflect the current selection on Prime Video.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 NRL Grand Final for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The NRL Grand Final looms on the horizon, but it's not just Australia that will be tuning in to this massive event. There are NRL fans all around the world, desperately scrambling for a way to watch this game. But there's no need to panic, because fans can live stream the 2025 NRL Grand Final from anywhere in the world. And no, we're not talking about those dodgy streams with even dodgier adverts. This hack is legit.

If you want to watch the 2025 NRL Grand Final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the NRL Grand Final?

The NRL Grand Final determines the champions of the National Rugby League. Since 1999, this fixture has been held at Stadium Australia (Accor Stadium) in Sydney.

When is the 2025 NRL Grand Final?

The 2025 NRL Grand Final will be held on Oct. 5 at Stadium Australia.

How to watch the 2025 NRL Grand Final for free

The 2025 NRL Grand Final is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in Australia. This process makes it look like you're connecting from Australia, so you can access 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Watch the 2025 NRL Grand Final from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2025 NRL Grand Final from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By making the most of these offers, you can secure access to the 2025 NRL Grand Final without committing with your cash. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can unblock 9Now and then recover your investment after the NRL Grand Final.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This heavily discounted plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch the 2025 NRL Grand Final for free with ExpressVPN.

Is there anything the internet loves more than dogs? (Cat people, I can't hear you!)

Well, a love of dogs is a key ingredient to what makes Good Boy such a fantastic horror movie premise. The trailer for the IFC Films release painted a creepy portrait of an adorable dog in mortal peril! Co-writer/director Ben Leonberg centers his film on Indy, his own family's dog, who has incredible star power. The premise is simple: a dog is in a haunted house where his owner can't sense the spirits that could harm them both. And you know what that means: the dog could die.

The immediate reaction to the trailer on X was movie fans (and dog lovers) concerned over this very question:

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Now, this is actually a major point of tension in the film. Sure, it's common for the stakes in a horror movie to be life or death — but with people.The very existence of a website dedicated to learning if the dog dies in any given movie suggests we as a species are more terrified of seeing a sweet dog being killed onscreen than hordes of horny teens or even ghost-plagued children. And Indy isn't just any dog. As the trailer and my review out of SXSW proclaims, he's a star. That led me to confess, "The resulting horror movie had me yelping like I was a kid seeing her first scary movie."

That was in no small part because I didn't know how this movie would end, and I was very invested. But hey, if your stress levels demand to know before you go how things shake out for the eponymous Good Boy, we've got you. Before you get misinformation from trolls on social media or misled by AI chatbots, Mashable will answer this question, from someone who has seen, reviewed, and loved Good Boy.

One final word of warning: Spoilers for the end of Good Boy below:

Does Indy the dog survive Good Boy? Indy, the Goodest of boys. Credit: IFC Films

Indy the dog lives.

Now, with this comfort in mind, I sincerely recommend you check out Good Boy. Indy is waiting to be discovered.

Good Boy is now in theaters.

UPDATE: Oct. 3, 2025, 5:40 p.m. EDT This article originally ran on Aug. 19, 2025. It's been republished for Good Boy's theatrical release.

As if we all don't order enough Amazon packages on any given day, it's time for Prime Day once again. Well, technically it's called Prime Big Deal Days, but for all intents and purposes, it's basically Prime Day October edition (the shopping event kicks off on Oct. 7). In other words, even more packages are about to pile up on doorsteps all over the world. That leaves us with a glaring issue: How do you recycle all those damn boxes, bubble envelopes, and paper bags?

Given the huge variety in packaging, the answer isn't so clear.

SEE ALSO: Regretting your purchase? Here's how to return Amazon packages in 2025. The reality of Amazon recycling

According to a 2024 report from ocean conservancy organization Oceana, Amazon generated 208 million pounds of plastic packaging waste from U.S. transactions in 2022. Despite a global decline in plastic waste, the number for U.S. shipping saw a 9.6 percent increase. "This amount of plastic, in the form of air pillows, would circle the Earth more than 200 times," the organization says.

Amazon, for what it's worth, does provide guidelines around the topic. U.S. customers whose orders are fulfilled by Amazon can click on any order in the Amazon app and scroll down to the bottom to view recycling or discard instructions. Customers can also ask Alexa or Siri "How do I recycle my Amazon packaging?" and both will direct them to Amazon's guidelines.

But David Pinsky, a senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace, doesn't think this information's very useful.

"While it is helpful to provide information, Amazon is continuing to place the burden on customers to manage its enormous packaging footprint. As U.S. and global recycling markets collapse, the truth is that very few plastics are still recyclable and, even if they are collected for recycling, most are not recycled. It's time for Amazon to ditch all single-use packaging and transition to reuse and refill systems," Pinsky, who works to make large companies reduce their single-plastic use, wrote in an email.

Large corporations like Amazon need to take responsibility by eliminating throwaway packaging and switching to reuse and refill systems, Pinsky explained.

In a December 2022 blog post, Amazon acknowledged this disparity: "Although the plastic packaging Amazon uses today is recyclable, it generally requires our customers to take the materials from their homes to store drop-off locations. As a company that obsesses about our customers, we recognize it's not the easiest customer experience."

What Amazon is doing for the planet

Amazon does offer a program called Frustration-Free Packaging, which includes products designed to ship in their own packaging without the need for additional Amazon mailers or boxes. According to Amazon, "products in 'Frustration-Free Packaging' offer more sustainable packaging that is right-sized, reduces damages, is made of recyclable packaging materials, and is easier to open." It is also made of 100 percent curbside recyclable materials. And the option is working, to some extent. Since 2015, Amazon has reduced the weight of outbound packaging by 38 percent and eliminated more than 1.5 million tons of packaging material, thanks to programs such as Frustration-Free Packaging.

"In the midst of a rapid increase in customer orders throughout the pandemic, we continued to take steps to reduce single-use plastics in our outbound packaging," the company wrote.

In 2019, Amazon debuted its fully recyclable paper padded mailer. The company had shipped more than 200 million new mailers to customers as of mid-2020 and replaced nearly 70 percent of its mixed material bubble mailers by 2021, offering the same recyclability as Amazon's cardboard box but taking up less space in the recycle bin, says an Amazon spokesperson.

The company also debuted its "Less Packaging, More Smiles" campaign in 2020 as a way to use less packaging materials in its shipments while helping customers repurpose boxes before recycling. For example, you can reuse Amazon cardboard boxes in fun ways — like to build a rocket, fort, or car for your cat or dog — all via a QR code on the box that provides instructions.

In 2021, the company attempted to address the plastic-film concerns and redesigned many of these plastic products to be more sustainable, increasing the recycled content of plastic film bags from 25 percent to 50 percent, and from 15 percent to over 40 percent for its plastic padded bags. The improvements are expected to eliminate more than 25,000 metric tons of new plastic each year moving forward, according to the company. In March 2022, the company also announced its partnership with the BOTTLE consortium, a U.S. Department of Energy research initiative to reduce plastic pollution, to design new modes of plastic chemical upcycling.

The company encourages customers to shop with Amazon Day Delivery in mind to take advantage of flexible options for when and how packages arrive. "On top of making deliveries work for their personal schedule, choosing Amazon Day is a great way to combine multiple orders into one delivery, potentially reducing the amount of packaging they receive. On average, Amazon Day uses 30 percent fewer boxes and Amazon Day users saved 136 million boxes in 2022," Amazon explained.

But these sustainability efforts might not be going far enough. As the Washington Post reported, in an effort to pack more shipments into delivery planes and trucks, Amazon is using more small plastic mailers rather than cardboard boxes.

SEE ALSO: The 2025 guide to recycling electronics, beauty empties, and clothing The long road to plastic-free Prime

Many of the plastic mailers it uses (like its regular and bubble-lined plastic bags) include plastic film.

In its latest report, Oceana estimated that up to 22 million pounds of such plastic packaging waste would end up in the world’s waterways and seas, noting that plastic film is the most common form of marine plastic litter in nearshore ocean areas and the deadliest to marine life.

Amazon notes on its website that some cities have curbside recycling programs for film, and if your city doesn't, Amazon utilizes a directory to find a drop-off location that will take compatible plastic film, wrap, and bags. However, Pinsky says this website isn't exhaustive because it doesn't include a list of complete options for some areas.

There also aren't that many cities with recycling programs that accept plastic film, says Darby Hoover, a senior resource specialist who works on plastic waste issues at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental advocacy organization. When it comes to recycling centers, even if they do accept plastic film, it can be hard, if not impossible, to process, as they often get caught in the center's machinery, a spokesperson from the recycling, landfill, and compost operator Recology wrote in an email.

To avoid this problem, Recology workers try to manually remove loose plastic film before it enters the machinery, but this doesn't always work. "Amazon packages represent a challenging new packaging trend," a Recology spokesperson explained.

Pinsky still suggests conducting your own research to find drop-off locations and asking your supermarket if they recycle plastic film.

And then there's the paper address label. If it's a self-adhesive label, it's probably not recyclable, Hoover says. "It's pretty upsetting to see Amazon has gone in this direction by putting more single-use plastics on the market," Pinsky says.

Although online shopping has become the de-facto way of living, it shouldn't just be the customer's responsibility to figure out how to recycle. Companies need to step up too, Hoover says.

How to recycle Amazon's packaging

Whether you're expecting to splurge this October Prime Day or are interested for everyday orders, here's how you can do your part to recycle all of Amazon's packaging.

1. Paper padded envelope mailer Amazon's paper padded envelope mailer. Credit: Amazon

Amazon says these paper padded mailers are recyclable, just like cardboard boxes and other paper items.

Paper products should be accepted by most curbside recycling programs, says Pinsky.

2. Bubble-lined plastic bag and plastic bag Amazon's bubble-lined plastic bag. Credit: Amazon Amazon's plastic bag. Credit: Amazon

Some cities offer curbside recycling, Amazon writes on its website. If your city doesn't, Amazon suggests using a directory where you can enter your ZIP code to find a drop-off location that accepts plastic film, which these bags contain.

Still, it's questionable if some drop-off locations will accept bubble-lined plastic bags, Pinsky says. Hoover advises people to check drop-off centers' websites to see what they can recycle.

3. Cardboard box and cardboard folder Amazon's cardboard box. Credit: Amazon Amazon's cardboard folder. Credit: Amazon

Cardboard boxes and folders can be recycled in most curbside recycling, Amazon states on its website. It also says to remove any tape before recycling.

Still, you should check with your local government to see what is recyclable and learn how and if you're supposed to prepare these materials in a particular way, Hoover says.

For example, New York City advises people to flatten cardboard boxes and then tie them together with strong twine before setting them out for recycling.

You can also use your cardboard boxes to start composting.

4. Paper Envelope Amazon's paper envelope. Credit: Amazon

Amazon says its paper envelopes are recyclable in most curbside recycling programs.

5. Give Back Box partnership (for cardboard boxes) Give your Amazon cardboard box another life by donating your stuff with it. Credit: Amazon

If you have an extra box lying around, you can also give it a second life. Just fill a box with items you wish to donate, print out a label for free, and ship it at no cost to you through UPS, FedEx, or USPS. Your old things will be re-homed to charities through Amazon's partnership with Give Back Box, and you can write off the donation on your taxes.

6. Packing paper Amazon's brown packing paper. Credit: Amazon

Packing paper is recyclable through most curbside recycling programs, according to Amazon.

7. Air pillow Amazon's air pillow. Credit: Amazon

Amazon suggests you either recycle its air pillows curbside, if possible, or find a drop-off location that accepts them. Like Amazon's plastic bags, air pillows contain plastic film, which means the packaging is harder to recycle.

When you are able to recycle them, Hoover suggests first popping the air out of the pillow and then bringing it to a drop-off location.

8. Bubble-lined paper mailer Amazon's bubble-lined paper mailer. Credit: Amazon

Paper mailers with air bubble padding are not recyclable and should be put in the trash, Amazon says on its website, though also suggests checking with your local recycling program for more details.

Pinsky, for his part, advises throwing out these mailers.

9. Reusable gift bags Amazon's reusable gift bags. Credit: Amazon

As you've probably guessed by the name, Amazon encourages you to reuse these gift bags. But once they're no longer presentable, you'll have to chuck them in the garbage bin. Amazon says it is "currently transitioning to gift bags made of 100 percent recycled material that will replace this version."

Pinsky advises avoiding these gift bags altogether. Most of the bags will end up in landfills, incinerators, and the environment.

Instead, he says, "get creative with other ways to share gifts that don’t require single-use plastic bags, paper, or other materials."

10. Amazon Fresh paper bag Credit: Amazon

Since they're paper, Amazon Fresh paper bags are recyclable through most curbside recycling programs.

11. Paper ice cream pouch Credit: Amazon

Paper envelopes, including the insulation inside, are recyclable in most curbside recycling programs and also can be used again if clean and dry.

12. Amazon Fresh water bottle Amazon Fresh water bottle. Credit: Amazon

This is just a water bottle and can be recycled in most curbside recycling programs. Amazon states on its website that these water bottles are used to cool items like food, but you can also drink the water, so don't let it go to waste.

13. Produce bag Amazon's produce bag. Credit: Amazon

Again, because the product has plastic film it may be tricky to recycle because the film often gets stuck in recycling centers' machinery. Amazon says some cities offer curbside recycling for its produce bag, but when not available, you can "use designated store drop-off locations where plastic film is accepted."

It's worth checking where you can recycle it first. Amazon provides a website to find a drop-off location to do so, but you should do your own research and ask your supermarket if they accept the film, says Pinsky.

14. Bottom board and paper insulation Credit: Amazon Amazon's paper insulation. Credit: Amazon

Both products are made of 100 percent cardboard. As such, Amazon says you can recycle both in your curbside recycling program.

Prime Big Deal Days is coming, and if you want to shop all the best deals, you'll need an Amazon Prime account.

Amazon's annual fall sale, called Prime Big Deal Days, is essentially just October Prime Day. It will kick off on Oct. 7 and run through Oct. 8. Unlike Amazon's flagship Prime Day, it won't be quite as extensive. This July, Prime Day ran from July 8 to 11, a vast — and frankly exhausting — four-day extravaganza. Prime Big Deal Days will be scaled back to just 48 hours of deals, but the retailer is still likely to drop millions of deals during the sale. And like Prime Day, you'll need a Prime membership to shop.

Not yet a Prime member? Want to revive your old Prime account? You can sign up for a free 30-day trial and unlock access to the sale. And nothing is stopping you from canceling before the 30-day promo period ends to avoid paying full price — just saying. Students (and anyone between the ages of 18 and 24) can also sign up for a 6-month trial for $0.

Regardless of whether or not you stick around, here's how you can sign up for Amazon Prime:

Total Time

• Under 5 minutes

What You Need

• Internet access
• Email address or phone number

Step 1: Go to the Amazon Prime sign-up page and click on Start your free 30-day trial.

Head to Amazon Prime's sign-up page.

Step 2: Input your email if you have an existing Amazon account or click on Create Your Amazon account.

A new sign-in page will open up on the website. Input your email or mobile number and password if you have an existing Amazon account or click on Create Your Amazon account. If you make a new account, you'll need to provide some basic information such as name, email, and password.

Step 3: If you're creating a new account, follow the steps to verify your email with a One-Time Password.

If you choose to create a new account, Amazon will send an OTP to your respective email address or mobile number for account verification. If you are using an existing account, skip to Step 5.

Step 4: Input the OTP and click on Verify.

Once the OTP verification page appears on the screen, input the code and click on Verify.

Step 5: Sign up for your 1-month trial or purchase a full subscription.

New users have two options: sign up for a one-month trial for $0 or purchase a full subscription. Remember: you may not qualify for a free trial if you have already used this offer in the past with the same email or phone number.

What are your Prime membership options?

If you are purchasing a Prime membership subscription, you have four plan options:

• Monthly Prime Membership — $14.99 per month

• Annual Membership — $139 per year or under $12 monthly

• Young Adult Monthly Membership — $7.49 per month (young adults are also eligible for exclusive offers, including a 6-month no-cost Prime trial)

• Prime for government assistance recipients — $6.99 per month (must verify eligibility)

The full moon is just days away now, and it's also International Observe the Moon Night. NASA describes tonight as a night to celebrate celestial observations, as well as honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon.

Keep reading to find out what you can spot in the night sky tonight, October 4.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Saturday, Oct. 4, the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous, and according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation, 91% of its surface is illuminated tonight.

There's so much to see tonight, including the Copernicus Crater, the Mare Serenitatis, and the Mare Fecunditatis, all visible with just the naked eye. Adding binoculars will also give you glimpses of the Apennine Mountains, the Alphonsus Crater, and the Clavius Crater. If you have a telescope, you can also spot the Apollo 11 landing spot, as well as the Reiner Gamma and the Descartes Highlands.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Oct. 7. The last full moon was on Sept. 7.

What are moon phases?

NASA explains that the moon goes through phases as it completes its 29.5-day orbit around Earth. The changing angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth cause the different phases we observe. From Earth, the moon can look full, partially lit, or even disappear entirely, but we always see the same side. What changes is the amount of sunlight reflected from its surface, depending on its position in orbit.

The eight main moon phases are as follows:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side.

Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

TL;DR: Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2025 Rugby Championship is available to live stream for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The final round of Rugby Championship fixtures is here. This year's competition will go down as one of the most entertaining in recent records, and we're hoping to end on a high when the All Blacks visit Australia. This matchup is always intense, but everything is still up for grabs this year. This could be epic.

If you want to watch Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2025 Rugby Championship for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Australia vs. New Zealand?

Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2025 Rugby Championship starts at 5:45 a.m. ET on Oct. 4. This fixture takes place at the Optus Stadium.

How to watch Australia vs. New Zealand for free

Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2025 Rugby Championship is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone from around the world can access this site with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2025 Rugby Championship by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch Australia vs. New Zealand for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to Australia vs. New Zealand without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch top fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2025 Rugby Championship for free with ExpressVPN.

Happy Saturday and welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Today's games are harder than they initially seem, but we have all the tips you need to navigate them.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 4, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for October 4, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 4 Pips

Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally

Equal (4): Everything in this green space must be equal to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this green space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 4 Pips

Equal (0): Everything in this green space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this green space must be equal to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this green space must be equal to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this green space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 4 Pips

Equal (4): Everything in this green space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 0-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add to 3. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The NYT Connections puzzle today shouldn't be hard to solve if you have a sweet tooth.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 2, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: To repair fabric

• Green: A flurry

• Blue: They share letters

• Purple: Sweet treats

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Fix a hole in clothing

• Green: Rush of wind

• Blue: Anagrams

• Purple: Kinds of cookies

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #847 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Fix a hole in clothing: DARN, MEND, PATCH, STITCH

• Rush of wind: BLAST, BLOW, GALE, GUST

• Anagrams: ARTS, RATS, STAR, TSAR

• Kinds of cookies: FORTUNE, OATMEAL, RAINBOW, SUGAR

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for September 29, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints will help you understand the flavor of today's puzzle.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

Today's NYT Strands puzzle should be easy to solve, provided that you're a frequent flyer.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 29, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 29, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Bring it home

The words are related to traveling.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe travel mementos.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Souvenirs.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for October 4

• Postcard

• Jewelry

• Shirt

• Souvenirs

• Magnets

• Keychain

• Spoon

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.