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MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Two-Minute Review

This thing is heavy, seriously... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

It's simple. If you're out for a powerful gaming laptop, capable of reaching high and smooth frame rates with minimal performance issues, the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is your answer. Using Nvidia's RTX 5080 laptop GPU and AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX processor, gaming is a breeze at its native 2560x1600 resolution without using Team Green's DLSS upscaling technology; however, when it is used, achieving high frame rates is a cakewalk.

It shines best in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Indiana Jones: The Great Circle, and Resident Evil 4 remake. It can struggle when attempting to use ray tracing at maximum graphics settings and at a 4K resolution without enabling DLSS, but that's exactly what Nvidia's tools are there for.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 had very little trouble reaching over 100fps, and edged close to the 100fps mark when running on ECO-Silent mode (which is incredible as I'll dive into later), helping reduce the workload and high temperatures, thanks to MSI Center's user scenario options.

With a 240Hz refresh rate, playing less demanding titles like Hades that can reach such frame rates, was an immersive and astonishing gaming experience. I know I've previously said that 144 or 165Hz refresh rates are more than enough for gaming, but with any game that can stay at 240fps without any significant dips, it's very impressive.

It's not all perfect though; this laptop is not ideal for long trips or playing on the go, as it's incredibly heavy (especially when including its 400W power adapter), and you'd need a large backpack to fit the 18-inch laptop in for travels. I found it difficult to use for long hours on a sturdy mini bed desk, with worries that it would snap its legs in pieces, and even at my main gaming desk, with its power adapter taking up space – so, portability isn't the best here.

This isn't an inexpensive system either - however, if you can afford the expense and you're looking for one of the best gaming laptops to provide great gaming performance, look no further.

MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Price & Availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $2,999.99 / £3,199 / AU$6,599 (for RTX 5080 configuration)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? In the US, UK, and Australia

There's no denying that the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is a very expensive piece of hardware, instantly locking most gamers out of a potential purchase. However, for those who can afford it, you're getting the bang for your buck with a system that is capable of matching a variety of desktop builds.

With both a powerful AMD processor and Nvidia GPU, it's more than enough to satisfy most gamers' performance needs; the Ryzen 9 9955HX excels at single-core and multi-core processes, which you'll see later below.

With this configuration (A9WIG-006UK), there is no OLED or mini-LED display available, which would've slightly softened the blow of the high price, with an immersive and brighter screen – but that shouldn't hinder the gaming experience here.

The issue is that it's more or just as expensive as some pre-built gaming PCs, which is somewhat reasonable since it's using a CPU as powerful as those in high-end desktops – but the RTX 5080 discrete desktop version is the stronger GPU.

Regardless, this is a gaming laptop that packs plenty of processing power in a beefy and sturdy chassis, cooled very well with its Cooler Boost 5 tech using a 'Dedicated Cooling Pipe', so it's not very surprising to see it cost so much.

Still, the point remains; unless you're adamant on travelling with the Vector A18 HX A9W and using it on the go (which I wouldn't recommend because portability isn't that great here), or just want a PC you can move around your home easily, it might be a better choice to buy a desktop rig.

• Value: 2.5 / 5

MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Specs

You knew you'd see Resident Evil 4 at some point in this review... I'm obsessed with it (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

MSI Vector A18 HX A9WIG-006UK (Review model UK)

MSI Vector A18 HX A9WIG-223US (Base model US)

MSI Vector A18 HX A9WIG-076US (Highest config)

Price

£3,199

$2,999.99

$3,959

CPU

AMD Ryzen 9955 HX

AMD Ryzen 9955 HX

AMD Ryzen 9955 HX

GPU

Nvidia RTX 5080

Nvidia RTX 5080

Nvidia RTX 5080

RAM

32GB DDR5

32GB DDR5

64GB DDR5

Storage

2TB NVMe Gen 4x4

1TB NVMe Gen 4x4

2TB NVMe Gen 4x4

Display

18" QHD+(2560x1600), 240Hz Refresh Rate, IPS-Level, 100% DCI-P3(Typical)

18" 16:10 QHD+(2560 x 1600), 240Hz, 100% DCI-P3 IPS-Level Panel

18" 16:10 QHD+(2560 x 1600) 240Hz 100% DCI-P3 IPS-Level Panel

Battery

4-Cell,
99.9 Whrs

4-Cell,
99.9 Whrs

4-Cell,
99.9 Whrs

Ports

2x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1, 1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen2, 2x USB 4/DP&PD 3.1 (Thunderbolt 4 Compatible), HDMI 2.1

2x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1, 1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen2, 2x USB 4/DP&PD 3.1 (Thunderbolt 4 Compatible), HDMI 2.1

2x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1, 1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen2, 2x USB 4/DP&PD 3.1 (Thunderbolt 4 Compatible), HDMI 2.1

Dimensions

15.91" x 12.09" x 1.26"

15.91" x 12.09" x 1.26"

15.91" x 12.09" x 1.26"

Weight

3.6 kg / 7.9lbs

3.6 kg / 7.9lbs

3.6 kg / 7.9lbs

MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Design

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

I absolutely love the chassis of the Vector A18 HX A9W as it has a sturdy build, and perhaps most importantly, a great cooling pipe design. Even when gaming on Extreme Performance, temperatures were never too high, often hitting a maximum of 77 degrees Celsius.

Its speakers aren't particularly a standout, but are serviceable and get the job done, especially with an equalizer and 3D surround sound available to improve audio immersion. It's also always easier to use Bluetooth speakers or headphones that have much better bass and clarity.

The two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports present are ideal for fast file transfers and for those who aren't keen on expanding internal storage with a new SSD, who would rather use an external one. It also features an HDMI 2.1 port on its rear, right next to its power adapter port – and one particular aspect I don't like is the slightly short length of the wire, which often forced me to place the chunky adapter on the desk.

Cool design, right? (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

With an 18-inch screen, you're getting the best you could possibly ask for when it comes to portable gaming – and if you've got a spacious desktop setup, it's a great experience.

However, the screen size and the weight are the only two main issues I have in this region, as you're going to have trouble fitting this in most backpacks for travel, and it's very heavy to carry around.

At 7.9 lbs, it had me paranoid that it would make my mini desk meet its demise, and while it's understandable considering all the powerful components, you should be aware that this laptop isn't built for portability (especially while carrying the adapter around, too).

Regardless, this is a beefy gaming laptop power-wise, and these gripes weren't too significant to spoil my experience overall.

• Design: 4 / 5

MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Display

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

My review model of the Vector A18 doesn't exactly have the best display available, as it's neither OLED nor mini-LED – both of which offer greater contrast and brightness. However, that doesn't stop it from being an immersive display that I found ideal for intense and competitive multiplayer gaming sessions.

It's thanks to the 240Hz refresh rate and 2560x1600 resolution, which matches up well with the horsepower of the RTX 5080. There aren't many games that are going to run at 240fps (unless you significantly lower graphics settings or resolution), but the ones that do, look absolutely incredible.

I must admit, coming from the consistent use of an OLED ultrawide, it took a little bit of an adjustment to become accustomed to an IPS LCD panel again – but that's to be expected when scaling down from one of the best display types (and it would be unfair to knock points off here because of that).

It's worth noting that HDR isn't present either, which often goes a long way at providing better color accuracy and detail in both brighter and darker images.

Regardless, the Vector A18 HX A9W has a 100% DCI-P3 coverage, so I never once felt dissatisfied or urged to calibrate or adjust color profiles. It also helps that you're getting a full 18-inch screen, which I believe is the sweet spot for portable laptop gaming (besides it probably being why it's so heavy).

The one downside I ran into is playing games that don't have 16:10 aspect ratio support. To put it simply, if you dislike black bars filling out portions of your screen while gaming, you're not going to like it here. So, it's definitely worth considering before committing to a purchase, but there are no other gripes from me.

• Display: 4 / 5

MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Performance

Sweaty Call of Duty lobbies... we love to see it (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

• RTX 5080 is a beast of a laptop GPU
• The combo with AMD's Ryzen 9955HX processor is fantastic
• The CPU's performance is incredible, matching desktop processors

The biggest highlight of the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is its performance, almost across the board. It shouldn't come as a surprise for me to say that the RTX 5080 laptop GPU is an absolute powerhouse, and crushes the 2560x1600 resolution in most triple-A games – and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is a game changer when used where necessary (essentially anything as demanding as Cyberpunk 2077).

In CPU-bound games, AMD's Ryzen 9955HX processor shines bright with 16 cores and 32 threads, ensuring the Blackwell GPU can do its job without any major bottleneck. In synthetic tests, both single-core and multi-core scores soared above chips like Apple's M1 Max in Cinebench 2024, and in real-world gaming tests, the results were consistent, as I didn't notice anything ominous regarding performance frame rates and frame pacing.

Most importantly, MSI Center features three different user scenario modes: ECO-Silent, Balanced, and Extreme Performance, which can all be used in any of the three Discrete, MSHybrid, or Integrated Graphics modes.

For the best results, I stuck with Discrete Graphics mode, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how great ECO-Silent was, in particular. Using a lower TDP (power consumption), temperatures are significantly decreased, and the fans are silent, hence the name ECO-Silent – but I came away shocked at the frame rates I was hitting using this mode.

At 1600p on ECO-Silent, Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum graphics settings without ray tracing and DLSS Quality, it ran at a solid 77fps, sometimes reaching the low 80fps mark, with a 1% low of 66fps.

In Assassin's Creed Shadows – a game that is arguably nearly as demanding on PC hardware as Cyberpunk 2077, and frankly, needs Frame Generation for higher FPS – ran at an average of 40fps on maximum graphics settings at 1600p, using DLSS Quality on ECO-Silent.

With the same graphics settings applied to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, it hit an average of 62fps; if that doesn't indicate how impressive ECO-Silent mode is, then I don't know what will. It's the best option for gamers who are bothered by fan noise and higher temperatures, while you still get very impressive performance results.

It gets even better with Balanced and Extreme Performance; the former has fans only a little louder than ECO-Silent, and is the way you should use the Vector A18 HX A9W for gaming (it's also MSI's recommended option), as it gives you a true reflection of what this machine is capable of, evident in the performance charts above.

Sticking with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Balanced mode was 41% faster than ECO-Silent, with an average of 94fps and 1% low at 77fps.

In the case of Extreme Performance, expect a whole lot of fan noise and higher temperatures, in favor of the best possible performance. In most cases of casual play, I hardly needed to use this mode, as the FPS boost wasn't significant enough coming from Balanced mode. However, it's absolutely essential for gaming at 4K, especially if you're using ray tracing.

It mustn't go without mention that DLSS Multi Frame Generation (when you have a decent base frame rate) is an absolute treat. It makes Cyberpunk 2077's Overdrive path tracing preset playable without needing to adjust graphics settings; yes, increased latency is worth noting, but I honestly didn't think it was too impactful in this case.

• Performance: 5 / 5

MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Battery

This heavy adapter is your best friend... forget about the battery (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

As it is with most gaming laptops I've used, the battery life isn't terrible, but it's also not great either – so, decent at best. We're still seemingly a long way off from battery tech improving, especially for gaming laptops and handheld gaming PCs, but I give the Vector A18 HX A9W its plaudits for being at least average here.

It has a 99.9WHr battery, and switching MSI Center's user scenarios, battery life can vary. While playing Resident Evil 4 remake on Hybrid mode and Extreme Performance, the laptop lasted a full hour, starting at 85% before draining. Knocking the scenario settings down to Discrete mode and Balanced (with 50% brightness) allowed it to last another 10 minutes from the same battery percentage.

If you ask me, I wouldn't even bother gaming without the power adapter because, as expected, performance is significantly worse. Bear in mind, there's a 400W power adapter ready to handle the combined 260W of power from the RTX 5080 and the Ryzen 9 9955HX.

On the other hand, while web surfing in Balanced mode and Integrated Graphics, results were a little bit more impressive; at 59% battery, it took exactly 51 minutes to fall to 6%. When at 100%, it lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes during YouTube playback, so it's decent enough for those who want to use this laptop for work or multitasking.

However, the biggest downside is the charging time, as it takes a total of 2 hours to fully charge. It's already not great that the battery drains within 3 hours outside of gaming, but the addition of a long charge time isn't beneficial if you're looking to use it while on the go.

Portability isn't a strong suit, and these battery results are one of the main reasons why, especially when paired with the hefty design.

• Battery: 3 / 5

Should you buy the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W?Buy it if...

You're looking for one of the best gaming laptops

The MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is one of the best gaming laptops you can find on the market, providing fantastic performance results in games with Nvidia's powerful Blackwell RTX 5080 GPU and AMD's desktop-rivalling Ryzen 9955HX processor.

You want an immersive high refresh rate display

It's great for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 or Counter-Strike 2, which rely on fast refresh rates, with access to 240Hz here. The laptop GPU is capable of achieving high frame rates with the right graphics settings.

You plan on moving around your home with a powerful gaming machine

The Vector A18 HX A9W is great for those who wish to move around their home using different displays in different rooms, without a big desktop PC case taking up space.

Don't buy if...

You need a laptop with long battery life

While the Vector A18 HX A9W's battery life isn't bad, it's also not the best either, as you might find with most gaming laptops, and you shouldn't consider this if that is a dealbreaker.

You want to game or work on the go

Coinciding with its average battery life, you won't get great performance without using its 400W power adapter, which is required to utilize the RTX 5080 and Ryzen 9955HX's combined 260W of power.

It's also very heavy and won't fit in most backpacks due to the display's 18-inch size.

You want an affordable gaming laptop

Affordability and the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W are completely distant, as all configurations have an eye-watering cost using either the RTX 5070 Ti or the RTX 5080.

How I tested the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W

I tested the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W for three weeks, running multiple games and synthetic benchmarks. It kept me away from my main desktop gaming PC for a while, with Multi Frame Generation being a significant reason in why, and while I don't want game developers to become over-reliant on Nvidia's DLSS tech, it's great when implemented properly.

Navigation and web browsing was a breeze too, with 32GB of RAM and a powerhouse CPU giving me all I needed to acknowledge that this was a gaming laptop that enthusiasts won't want to miss out on.

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In our list of the best streaming services we crowned Paramount+ as the best platform for classic movies, and it still is – however, it's broadening its library of 21st century features in its list of new titles for June 2025.

With over 80 new movies landing on June 1, among the list of new Paramount+ movies lies modern titles that over time have earned modern classic status, starting with No Country for Old Men (2007) – a western thriller from the Coen brothers starring Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin.

But that's not all and, if anything, the drama never ends. Joining the Coens' thriller is Steve McQueen's Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave (2013), Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994), and four movies from the Indiana Jones franchise. The thrills are endless.

Everything new on Paramount+ in June 2025

Arriving on June 1

3:10 to Yuma (movie)
12 Years a Slave (movie)
Bad News Bears (movie)
BlacKkKlansman (movie)
Boogie Nights (movie)
But I'm a Cheerleader (movie)
Call Me By Your Name (movie)
Carol (movie)
Carriers (movie)
Center Stage (movie)
Changing Lanes (movie)
Chasing Amy (movie)
Cloverfield (movie)
Crawlspace (movie)
Daddy Day Camp (movie)
Dance Flick (movie)
Dog Day Afternoon (movie)
Double Jeopardy (movie)
Eagle Eye (movie)
Elf (movie)
Enemy at the Gates (movie)
EuroTrip (movie)
Everybody's Fine (movie)
Extract (movie)
First Blood (movie)
Heatwave (movie)
How She Move (movie)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (movie)
Imagine That (movie)
In & Out (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (movie)
Jawbreaker (movie)
Kinky Boots (movie)
Law of Desire (movie)
Layer Cake (movie)
Light of My Life (movie)
Like a Boss (movie)
Marathon Man (movie)
Masterminds (movie)
Military Wives (movie)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (movie)
No Country for Old Men (movie)
Orange County (movie)
Overdrive (movie)
Pretty In Pink (movie)
Pulp Fiction (movie)
Racing with the Moon (movie)
Rambo III (movie)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (movie)
RED (movie)
Reservoir Dogs (movie)
Risky Business (movie)
Road Trip (movie)
Run & Gun (movie)
Saturday Night Fever (movie)
Save the Last Dance (movie)
School Ties (movie)
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (movie)
She's All That (movie)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (movie)
Stand By Me (movie)
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (movie)
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (movie)
The Crossing Guard (movie)
The Dictator (movie)
The Fighting Temptations (movie)
The Gambler (movie)
The General's Daughter (movie)
The Girl Next Door (movie)
The Godfather (movie)
The Godfather Part II (movie)
The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (movie)
The Hunt for Red October (movie)
The Ides Of March (movie)
The Kings of Summer (movie)
The Last Samurai (movie)
The Lovely Bones (movie)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (movie)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (movie)
The Nice Guys (movie)
The Other Woman (movie)
The People vs. Larry Flynt (movie)
The Running Man (movie)
The Shootist (movie)
The Space Between Us (movie)
The Untouchables (movie)
Tigerland (movie)
Tommy Boy (movie)
Tootsie (movie)
Total Recall (movie)
True Grit (movie)
Whiplash (movie)
Without a Paddle (movie)
xXx (movie)
Zola (movie)

Arriving on June 4

SpongeBob SquarePants season 14 (TV show)

Arriving on June 5

Lions for Lambs (movie)

Arriving on June 8

The 78th Annual Tony Awards (TV show)

Arriving on June 11

The Really Loud House season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on June 15

In Bloom: Everybody’s Fight (TV show)

Arriving on June 22

Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards (TV show)

Arriving on June 25

The Patrick Star Show season 3 (TV show)
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The Last Cowboy season 5 (TV show)

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• Seagate quietly ships 40TB HAMR drives, setting the pace for the next storage next
• Mozaic HAMR tech crams 4TB per platter, promising massive boosts in storage efficiency
• Data center expansion will dictate how fast these record-breaking 40TB drives hit the mainstream

At the recent Seagate’s Investor and Analyst Conference, the company revealed it has delivered limited units of its new 40TB hard drives based on its Mozaic HAMR platform.

These 40TB drives use Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) to achieve 4TB per platter across ten platters, marking a shift toward Seagate’s Mozaic 4+ platform.

While these are not yet broadly available, full-scale production is slated to begin in the first half of 2026 following extensive customer qualification testing.

Full-scale production to commence next year

“We have shipped limited 40 terabyte engineering samples to our customer already. We do plan to initiate quals next quarter, and we'll continue quals into 2026, where we'll be bringing over a wide portion of our customer base to the Mozaic 4 platform,” said Dr. John Morris, Seagate’s CTO.

Volume readiness will depend on how data centers integrate and validate the drives. However, the goal is to move a significant share of Seagate’s exabyte shipments to HAMR-based drives, which promise higher capacity and data center efficiency.

As CEO, Dr. Dave Mosley explained, “10 disks would get you to 40 terabytes... this gives better efficiencies in the data center. At the fleet level, this is how our customers think.”

Seagate's long-term plan involves rolling out even larger capacities, including 44TB drives by 2027 and 50TB drives by 2028.

The delay from its original 2017 projection for 50TB drives by 2026 underscores the complexities of scaling HAMR technology. Yet, the 40TB development still positions Seagate in the race to offer the largest HDD on the market.

Rival companies are following different strategies. Western Digital (WD) continues to expand capacity through ePMR and OptiNAND, reserving HAMR for its own 40TB launch expected in late 2026.

“Other companies have started adopting HAMR with 30TB HDDs, but we believe HAMR’s true potential begins at 40TB. Until then, we'll continue using technologies like OptiNAND and UltraSMR to increase the capacity of existing HDDs up to 40TB,” said Kimihiko Nishio, WD's sales manager in Japan.

Toshiba, another key player, has been developing its technologies, such as Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording (MAMR).

The company aims to release its first 35TB HDD based on HAMR before 2026. Toshiba's strategy involves combining MAMR with future HAMR implementations to achieve these capacities.

These drives won’t appeal to average consumers looking for the fastest HDD or even the best HDD for home use, their development is closely tied to the AI-driven cybersecurity arms race.

Seagate’s early shipments of 40TB drives suggest technical leadership in the race to develop the largest HDD, but the path to commercial reality is winding, and the cautious stance of competitors implies the challenges are considerable.

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• Security experts say traditional identity checks fail because they treat each verification as an isolated event
• Deepfake variations let fraudsters bypass biometric and liveness detection systems with ease
• Consortium validation shares data across organizations to detect subtle, repeated fraud attempts in real time

In a digital world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, identity fraud is evolving in scale and sophistication.

Experts from AU10TIX have flagged a new threat tactic known as “Repeaters” which is reshaping the way fraudsters infiltrate digital systems.

Unlike traditional attacks, these aren’t designed for instant damage - instead, Repeaters quietly test the defenses of banks, crypto platforms, and other services by using slightly varied synthetic identities.

Deepfakes as reconnaissance tools

Once weak points are identified, those same assets are redeployed across multiple platforms in large-scale, coordinated fraud campaigns.

At the heart of this strategy are deepfake-enhanced identities, slightly modified versions of a core digital asset.

These changes may include tweaks to facial features, background images, or document numbers.

When examined individually, each variation appears legitimate, often bypassing traditional Know Your Customer (KYC) processes and biometric checks.

AU10TIX’s CEO, Yair Tal, describes them as “the fingerprint of a new class of fraud: automated, AI-enhanced attacks that reuse synthetic identities and digital assets at scale.”

What makes Repeaters particularly dangerous is how they exploit gaps in current fraud detection systems.

Most traditional defenses rely on static validation, evaluating each identity as an isolated event. Techniques like biometric scans, liveness detection, and ID checks often miss the broader picture.

Because these synthetic identities are only submitted a few times per platform and appear unique, conventional tools struggle to detect the repetition.

To counter this threat, AU10TIX therefore introduces “consortium validation”. Unlike siloed systems, this method allows multiple organizations to share identity signals across a real-time network, just like the best endpoint protection platforms.

If an identity, or even a slightly modified version, appears at more than one member organization, the system flags it immediately.

It’s a collaborative defense strategy aimed at connecting the dots between otherwise isolated incidents.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of detecting and blocking these attacks through advanced pattern recognition and real-time consortium validation,” Tal added

AU10TIX recommends organizations also audit for vulnerabilities to deepfakes and synthetic identities that can bypass traditional KYC defenses.

It also recommends the close monitoring of behaviors across devices, sessions and onboarding events because it can reveal coordinated activities before they scale.

The best chance at early detection of such fraudulent activity is a connected and behaviorally aware security infrastructure because no single solution can claim to be the best antivirus or the best malware protection against this new generation of fraud.

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As Ultron invades the Hellfire Gala, it's time to don some new combat gear. There are plenty of free skins in Marvel Rivals right now.

Max is about to go through another big change, and I'm not talking about its rebrand back to HBO Max. Now that all the new Max movies and shows have been announced for June 2025, another library reshuffle is on the way.

After being renewed for a new installment right off the back of season two, HBO original show The Gilded Age season three premieres on June 22 with the return of stars Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon. This will be shortly followed by two new original documentary features Enigma and My Mom Jayne on June 24 and 27 respectively.

But it wouldn't be a classic Max list without a flurry of new movies and, in true Max style, it's packed with titles going back as far as Hollywood's Golden Age as well as modern favorites like Fight Club (1999) and Best Picture winner Parasite (2019), which packs a punch with each watch. With that said, we'd better start making some room in our list of best Max movies for the new arrivals.

Everything new on Max in June 2025

Arriving on June 1

A Hologram for the King (movie)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (movie)
A Perfect Getaway (movie)
Backtrack (movie)
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (movie)
Black Patch (movie)
Blues in the Night (movie)
Casino (movie)
Fight Club (movie)
Gentleman Jim (movie)
Hellboy (movie)
I Am Not Your Negro (movie)
Igor (movie)
Illegal (movie)
In the Good Old Summertime (movie)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (movie)
Kid Glove Killer (movie)
Meet Me in St. Louis (movie)
My Scientology Movie (movie)
Numbered Men (movie)
One Foot in Heaven (movie)
Parasite (movie)
Presenting Lily Mars (movie)
Pride & Prejudice (movie)
Public Enemies (movie)
Reign of the Supermen (movie)
Serenade (movie)
Silver River (movie)
Spaceballs (movie)
Split (movie)
Strike Up the Band (movie)
Summer Stock (movie)
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (movie)
Superman: Red Son (movie)
Superman: Unbound (movie)
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (movie)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (movie)
The Death of Superman (movie)
The Fighting 69th (movie)
The Harvey Girls (movie)
The Hunger Games (movie)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (movie)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (movie)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (movie)
The Man Who Invented Christmas (movie)
The Match King (movie)
The Mayor of Hell (movie)
The Mortician (movie)
The Nitwits (movie)
The Prince and the Pauper (movie)
The Sea Chase (movie)
The Sea Hawk (movie)
The Sunlit Night (movie)
The Verdict (movie)
They Made Me a Criminal (movie)
This Side of the Law (movie)
Three Faces East (movie)
Three Strangers (movie)
Total Drama Island season 2 (TV show)
Wagons West (movie)
Words and Music (movie)
You'll Find Out (movie)
Ziegfeld Follies (movie)

Arriving on June 2

BBQ Brawl season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on June 3

Bullet Train (movie)
Ugliest House in America season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on June 4

1000-lb Roomies season 1 (TV show)
Fatal Destination season 1 (TV show)

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Bea's Block season 1 (TV show)
Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 6

House Hunters International volume 9 season 201 (TV show)
Parthenope (movie)

Arriving on June 10

Virgins season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 11

Guy's Grocery Games season 38 (TV show)

Arriving on June 12

Bitchin' Rides season 11 (TV show)
Mini Beat Power Rockers: A Superheroic Night (TV show)

Arriving on June 13

Cleaner (movie)
House Hunters volume 10 season 240 (TV show)
Maine Cabin Masters season 10 (TV show)
Super Sara (TV show)
Toad & Friends season 1 (TV show)

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Hero Ball season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on June 17

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm (TV show)
Super Mega Cakes season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 19

Expedition Unknown season 15 (TV show)
Mystery At Blind Frog Ranch season 5 (TV show)

Arriving on June 20

House Hunters volume 10 season 241 (TV show)
Lu & The Bally Bunch season 1 (TV show)
Now or Never: FC Montfermeil (TV show)
Teen Titans Go! season 9 (TV show)

Arriving on June 21

The Kitchen season 38 (TV show)
The Never Ever Mets season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on June 22

The Gilded Age season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on June 23

Match Me Abroad season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on June 24

Enigma (documentary)
Mean Girl Murders season 3 (TV show)
The Invitation (movie)

Arriving on June 25

Rehab Addict season 10 (TV show)

Arriving on June 27

House Hunters volume 10 season 242 (TV show)
My Mom Jayne (documentary)
Pati seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (movie)

Arriving on June 29

#Somebody's Son season 1 (TV show)
Family or Fiancé season 4 (TV show)

Arriving on June 30

90 Day Fiancé: Pillow Talk season 11 (TV show)
Truck U season 21 (TV show)

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 31 (game #720).

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #721) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DIVE
• SLUSH
• FENCE
• LOCK
• SWIM
• HEDGE
• ICE
• HAUNT
• MUTUAL
• GUARANTEE
• JOINT
• RIDE
• CINCH
• SHOOT
• TRUST
• ESTABLISHMENT

NYT Connections today (game #721) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A bar you know 
• GREEN: Multi-sport
• BLUE: In the bag 
• PURPLE: A pool of money

Need more clues?

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

NYT Connections today (game #721) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: LOCAL WATERING HOLE 
• GREEN: COMPETE IN A MODERN PENTATHLON 
• BLUE: ENSURE, AS A VICTORY 
• PURPLE: ___ FUND 

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

NYT Connections today (game #721) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #721, are…

• YELLOW: LOCAL WATERING HOLE DIVE, ESTABLISHMENT, HAUNT, JOINT
• GREEN: COMPETE IN A MODERN PENTATHLON FENCE, RIDE, SHOOT, SWIM
• BLUE: ENSURE, AS A VICTORY CINCH, GUARANTEE, ICE, LOCK
• PURPLE: ___ FUND HEDGE, MUTUAL, SLUSH, TRUST

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

As a big fan of multi-sport competitions I got COMPETE IN A MODERN PENTATHLON quickly, as these are all events in that particular Olympic sport.

It’s called the modern pentathlon to distinguish it from the ancient pentathlon, but in truth it’s not very modern anymore. It’s a bit like someone calling a typewriter a modern pencil. 

In my opinion there should be more of these tests of sporting ability – I remember a brief attempt at marketing a chessboxing hybrid a while back and there is of course the triathlon, but why stop there?

Combining table games, athletics and martial arts creates hundreds of watchable possibilities; who wouldn’t want to watch Jenga-Pole Vault-Judo? 

Getting the hardest group, comprising of four funds, early was a thrill for me today, tempered slightly by the fact that I don’t understand the blue group ENSURE, AS A VICTORY at all – just like I didn’t understand it a year ago when the exact same group appeared in Connections #340.

Back then, in May 2024, it was a green group so I don’t think I’m alone in struggling to see where ICE fits in.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, May 31, game #720)

• YELLOW: ALCOVE CAVITY, HOLLOW, NOOK, RECESS
• GREEN: WAYS TO RECOGNIZE ACHIEVEMENT CERTIFICATE, MEDAL, PLAQUE, TROPHY
• BLUE: VERBS IN BREADMAKING FERMENT, PROOF, REST, RISE
• PURPLE: THINGS YOU CAN BLOW BUBBLE, FUSE, KISS, RASPBERRY

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, May 31 (game #1223).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

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

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

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

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

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

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

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

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

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• M

• W

• A

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

Quordle today (game #1224) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1224, are…

• POINT
• MERIT
• WHOOP
• APHID

On the surface WHOOP may look like a tricky word to get, but there are two reasons behind why I saw it immediately.

Firstly, with an H, O, and P all with limited places to go, a word ending  H-O-O-P seemed the most likely possibility. Secondly, when you play Quordle and its many variants for a while, a few words recur more than others and WHOOP is one of them. 

It still feels like magic when you get strange words like “whoop” correct, though. Worthy of a small “whoop!” at least.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1224) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1224, are…

• GLOAT
• LADLE
• ALIKE
• VOUCH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER
• Quordle #1214, Thursday, 22 May: LOSE, GLOVE, STINT, EXCEL
• Quordle #1213, Wednesday, 21 May: NOVEL, CHOSE, DIRTY, DONUT
• Quordle #1212, Tuesday, 20 May: DECOY, SHAKE, MAPLE, PURER
• Quordle #1211, Monday, 19 May: LINK, HANDY, DITCH, WAIVE
• Quordle #1210, Sunday, 18 May: QUACK, ROACH, PURGE, DOWNY
• Quordle #1209, Saturday, 17 May: STRIP, RANGE, UNITE, GEESE
• Quordle #1208, Friday, 16 May: SHEEP, SNUCK, DRIFT, BREAK
• Quordle #1207, Thursday, 15 May: PAINT, CROUP, PEDAL, FLUKE
• Quordle #1206, Wednesday, 14 May: FAVOR, METER, PICKY, MAKER
• Quordle #1205, Tuesday, 13 May: SCENT, AGAPE, POLAR, YEARN
• Quordle #1204, Monday, 12 May: ROYAL, ARGUE, BUNCH, READY

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, May 31 (game #454).

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… All rise

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• RATION
• THIN
• YOUR
• ATOM
• COIN
• BROOM

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #455) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #455, are…

• BAIL
• COURTROOM
• ALIBI
• MOTION
• OBJECTION
• SPANGRAM: YOUR HONOR

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

The theme “All rise” immediately had me thinking we were searching for terms connected to judges, juries and trials. I couldn’t see any search words, so I used a hint to begin the hunt. BAIL didn’t exactly open up the board – but seeing COURTROOM did.

After a few easy editions, this Strands was much more of a challenge – OBJECTION was my final word, but it took a while to unpick the anagram and then connect the letters.

Today’s spangram – YOUR HONOR – is also the title of a TV show that has an excellent opening episode about a crime, a compromised judge, and the manufacture of an ALIBI. The jury is out on the rest of the series.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, May 31, game #454)

• SCRUNCHIE
• CLAW
• CLIP
• BARRETTE
• HEADBAND
• SPANGRAM: HAIR ACCESSORIES

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

• Haptic buttons are predicted for Apple devices
• They're more durable and more customizable
• It's unlikely we'll see them on the iPhone 17

Haptic buttons (also known as solid-state buttons) don't physically move – they just give your fingers feedback in the form of vibrations to simulate a click. Apple uses them for its MacBook trackpads, and it seems they'll be coming to many other devices soon.

As per well-known tipster Instant Digital (via MacRumors), Apple is exploring the idea of using haptic buttons for the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple Watch – though the indications are that this isn't something we'll be seeing in this year's refreshes.

This isn't the first time this rumor has appeared – we thought we might get haptic buttons back with the iPhone 15 series, if you remember – but it appears that they're back on the agenda for Apple, and this time not just for the iPhone.

We don't get much more information than that, but the benefits of these haptic buttons are that they last longer (because they're not actually moving), and offer more customization options (because the force of the feedback can be adjusted as needed).

Buttoned down

We might see haptic buttons on the Apple Watch too (Image credit: Apple)

Based on this rumor at least, it seems unlikely that haptic buttons are going to be ready for the iPhone 17, or indeed the Apple Watch Series 11. Both of those devices will now be in the latter stages of their development ahead of an expected September launch.

Looking further down the line though, some of this technology might appear in Apple's 2026 devices (by which time, Apple's launch schedule could be more staggered). It could show up slowly too, on some buttons but not on others.

The iPhone 16 handsets do feature a Camera Control button that's partially haptic, but it uses tech that's actually a solid-state and physical mechanism hybrid. It possibly shows Apple experimenting ahead of going all in on haptics.

Other leaks have suggested that Apple is working towards an all-screen iPhone in the coming years (without any notches or islands), while rumors of a portless iPhone have been swirling for years. Haptic buttons could be another part of that grand plan.

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