Highguard, a hyperpop arena shooter and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game space. There are tons of interesting games out this week. But first, there’s been some discourse around the Nintendo Switch version of Dispatch, which arrived this week as well.

On other platforms, there’s an option to censor genitalia and other explicit content, but that’s not present in the Switch version. Instead, such content is censored by default, with black rectangles covering up characters’ bits and someone flipping the bird. Noises that suggest sexual pleasure are said to be toned down too.

“We worked with Nintendo to ensure the content within the title met the criteria to release on their platforms, but the core narrative and gameplay experience remains identical to the original release,” developer AdHoc told EuroGamer. Nintendo later said in a statement to GoNintendo that it “requires all games on its platforms to receive ratings from independent organizations and to meet our established content and platform guidelines. While we inform partners when their titles don’t meet our guidelines, Nintendo does not make changes to partner content. We also do not discuss specific content or the criteria used in making these determinations.” 

There are other games available for the Switch and Switch 2 that feature nudity and explicit content. There have long been hentai games on the eShop, while mainstream games like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 (we know all about the dongs in that one) still include explicit content on Nintendo platforms. So it’s a bit of a strange one, and AdHoc and Nintendo didn’t exactly clear things up with their statements.

There’s been speculation that AdHoc censored the game to comply with rules in Japan (Cyberpunk 2077 is censored there too) and that it opted to have just one version of the game available globally on Nintendo platforms. All the same, it’s a curious situation that’s resulted in a lot of discourse. But there’s been another indie game that’s been a source of even more chatter this week…

New releases

Highguard is a 3v3 raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, a team that includes a bunch of former Apex Legends and Titanfall developers. It broke cover at The Game Awards in December when it was the final reveal of the night but that first trailer wasn’t great.

As it turned out, TGA creator and host Geoff Keighley was a friend of the devs and after trying Highguard, he wanted to include it in the show. Wildlight cobbled together a trailer, but that disrupted the studio’s long-standing plans to reveal and release the game simultaneously — a strategy that worked wonders for Apex Legends (though that game had the might of EA behind it).

After revealing Highguard, Wildlight effectively went radio silent until a release day showcase on Monday to detail just what the game is and how it works. That seems to have been a mistake given the review bombing and strange vendetta some developed against it. Highguard went live on Monday and Wildlight published a whole bunch of YouTube videos revealing the game’s features. Spreading those out between TGA and this week could have tempered expectations.

In any case, I’ve played a few rounds of Highguard and mostly enjoyed my time with it so far. It’s a blend of hero shooter and MOBA. As you might expect for a game from Apex and Titanfall veterans, the weapons feel well-tuned and the gunplay is snappy. There’s a lot going on and the maps are far too big for just six players. It’s fun enough, but I don’t think it’s a game that’s going to break my Overwatch obsession. Riding into battle on the back of a bear feels pretty great, though. You can play Highguard for free on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

I really wanted to like Don’t Stop, Girlypop! more than I did. I’d been looking forward to it for a while, as the promise of a Doom Eternal-style arena shooter with chaotic hyperpop-inspired visuals seemed like a great blend. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the aesthetic and the soundtrack is spot on thanks to some cracking songs from Sarah Wolfe, Xavier Dunn and Candice Susnjar. I just wish it was as fun to play as it is to look at and listen to.

The visual clutter and fast pace sometimes makes it hard to spot enemies and the narrative doesn’t really hang together, as much as the developers have salient points to make about the exploitation of finite resources. The core gameplay idea here is that the faster you move, the more damage you deal and more you heal. The game has its own take on a bunny hop called a wave hop that boosts your speed, but felt like it slowed me down because of the complex combination of inputs (jump, ground pound, jump, dash). That also caused my hand to cramp up very quickly. 

I do love the customization here. Slapping rhinestones and baby sharks onto my weapons was delightful. The game’s take on a gravity gun is fun too. So while Don’t Stop, Girlypop! — from Funny Fintan Softworks and publisher Kwalee — didn’t fully land for me, there are some aspects I like a whole lot. It’s out now on Steam for $20 (there’s a 10 percent launch discount until February 5).

We’re been looking forward to Cairn for a while around these parts, so it’s heartening to see that it debuted to broadly positive reviews. This one from The Game Bakers is the latest in a string of climbing adventures, such as the lovely Jusant. So if Alex Honnold’s recent free solo climb up a skyscraper has inspired you to ascend something very large without really posing a risk to your wellbeing, Cairn might be what you’re looking for. 

Cairn is out now on PS5 and Steam for $30. There’s a 10 percent launch discount on Steam until February 12, and until February 13 on PS5 if you’re a PS Plus member.

Every trailer I’ve seen for Steel Century Groove has made me smile, so you can bet I’ll be jumping into this when I have a chance. It’s a rhythm game with Pokémon-style RPG elements in which you take control of a robot in dance battles. There’s some original and licensed music to boogie along to and you can load in your own MP3s (you can bank on me loading some Electric Callboy tracks into this game). Steel Century Groove will create procedurally-generated choreography and charts for your custom songs. You can manually adjust the BPM too.

This debut title from solo developer Sloth Gloss Games is out now on Steam for $20. There’s a 10 percent launch discount until February 11. There’s a demo available, and progress from there carries over into the full game.

Rosday’s Wanderling is a roguelike platformer with no combat. You have eight attempts to acquire the gear and learn the knowledge you need to pass each dungeon. Scour for loot and buy upgrades from the shop before night falls to help you on your way. You can place markers to help you remember where you’ve been. 

Runs are said to be short at between 20 and 30 minutes. The visuals remind me a bit of Celeste too. You can check out Wanderling on Steam now for $8 (a 10 percent discount brings the price down to $7.20 until February 2).

I can’t help but admire Strange Scaffold (Clickolding, I Am Your Beast, Co-op Kaiju Horror Cooking) and the rate at which it releases games. The latest one is Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator

It’s a stock market sim in which you speculate on the future success or failures of the “simulated lives of babies.” You can “short that baby” if you choose as you try to make gains. In a timeline where prediction markets allow you to speculate on just about anything (listen to this week’s episode of the Engadget Podcast to learn more about that), gambling on the future of babies doesn’t seem that farfetched.

Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator — which is set in the same world as Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator — is out now on Steam. It’ll normally cost $20, but there’s a 15 percent discount until February 12. Strange Scaffold is also bringing the game to Xbox Series X/S in the near future.

I Hate This Place is an isometric survival game based on the eponymous comic book series by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. The game retains a comic book aesthetic and it has ’80s horror movie-style inflections.

The way that noise is visualized is pretty interesting here. Onomatopoeic words will pop up and you’ll see color-coded footsteps — useful when you’re trying to be stealthy. Crafting is a key aspect of the game as well.

I Hate This Place — from Rock Square Thunder, Broken Mirror Games and Skybound Entertainment — is out now on Steam, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S. The regular price is $30 and there’s a 20 percent launch discount on some platforms. 

I can’t find a trailer for this on YouTube, unfortunately, but Rebadge caught my eye this week as well. It’s a puzzle platformer from Yuumayay, who appears to be a 17-year-old solo developer. Your character carries badges that allow them to carry out actions like moving and jumping. Other badges include “affected by gravity” and “destroys on contact.” Here’s the trick: you can throw a badge and lose the associated ability, but then you can apply the trait to something else in the world.

It’s a neat idea that draws from the playbooks of games like Baba Is You. Rebadge typically costs $8, but there’s a 15 percent launch discount.

Upcoming 

Moon Beast Productions is a studio formed by several of the creators of Diablo and Diablo II. This week, it revealed gameplay for its first title, Darkhaven, which is a fantasy isometric action RPG in the vein of (you guessed it) Diablo. You’ll be able to play this one solo or with friends, and there are PvP elements. Darkhaven has procedurally generated, destructible worlds along with “massive events that threaten your entire world.”

The gameplay shown in the trailer looks a bit rough, but it’s still early days. In fact, Moon Beast is planning a Kickstarter campaign for Darkhaven. There’s no release window as yet, but you can wishlist it on Steam.

Box or Void is a puzzle game that clearly takes some inspiration from Sokuban and Snake. Here, though, gameplay takes place across two planes. You’ll switch between positive and negative space — obstacles on one side turn into pathways on the other. You’ll alter the level layouts by pushing boxes. 

This one from Dumen Games has an intriguing premise. There’s no release date as yet for Box or Void, but a demo with 32 levels (about a fifth of what will be in the full game) dropped this week on Steam.

If there’s a game that’s billed as Dredge meets Wall-E, that’s going to be enough to sell me. Describe it as a “petroidvania” and call it Good Boy, and I’m definitely in.

This is a creature-collecting Metroidvania from Observer Interactive and publisher Team17 in which pups are reincarnated as space rovers. I could not dig that premise more. Good Boy is expected to hit Steam later this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/highguard-a-hyperpop-arena-shooter-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120000874.html?src=rss 

Rivian made an electric ambulance for Grey’s Anatomy

America’s once-promising EV transition may have taken a U-turn, but at least some in Hollywood are trying to do their part. Rivian partnered with Grey’s Anatomy to make a custom electric ambulance for the long-running series.

The ambulance is a modified version of Rivian’s Commercial Van. The custom “vanbulance” serves a dual purpose: preventing on-set exhaust fumes (which could harm the cast and crew) and integrating a green storyline. “As an added benefit, the elimination of engine noise brought a welcome quiet while cameras were rolling,” Rivan wrote in a blog post.

Among other modifications, it has rear double doors instead of a roll-up one.

Rivian

The vehicle includes some production-specific touches. Its walls and roof panels are removable, allowing cameras to reach angles required for interior shots. In addition, Rivian replaced the standard van’s rear roll-up door with double doors while adding a side entry to the cargo area. The company also added custom lighting and an exterior wrap reading “Seattle Emergency Response Services.”

The team consulted with the Huntington Beach Fire Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department to inform the interior layout. “Their feedback was invaluable to understand how first responders actually use their vehicles,” Rivian wrote.

At least Hollywood’s fictional worlds are transitioning to electric.

Rivian

The Hollywood Reporter notes that the electric ambulance debuted in the November 13, 2025, episode of Grey’s Anatomy. However, it was featured more prominently in Thursday’s episode — hence Rivian choosing this week to highlight it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/rivian-made-an-electric-ambulance-for-greys-anatomy-194358967.html?src=rss 

NASA used Claude to plot a route for its Perseverance rover on Mars

Since 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover has achieved a number of historic milestones, including sending back the first audio recordings from Mars. Now, nearly five years after landing on the Red Planet, it just achieved another feat. This past December, Perseverance successfully completed a route through a section of the Jezero crater plotted by Anthropic’s Claude chatbot, marking the first time NASA has used a large language model to pilot the car-sized robot.    

Between December 8 and 10, Perseverance drove approximately 400 meters (about 437 yards) through a field of rocks on the Martian surface mapped out by Claude. As you might imagine, using an AI model to plot a course for Perseverance wasn’t as simple as inputting a single prompt. 

As NASA explains, routing Perseverance is no easy task, even for a human. “Every rover drive needs to be carefully planned, lest the machine slide, tip, spin its wheels, or get beached,” NASA said. “So ever since the rover landed, its human operators have painstakingly laid out waypoints — they call it a ‘breadcrumb trail’ — for it to follow, using a combination of images taken from space and the rover’s onboard cameras.” 

To get Claude to complete the task, NASA had to first provide Claude Code, Anthropic’s programming agent, with the “years” of contextual data from the rover before the model could begin writing a route for Perseverance. Claude then went about the mapping process methodically, stringing together waypoints from ten-meter segments it would later critique and iterate on.  

This being NASA we’re talking about, engineers from the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) made sure to double check the model’s work before sending it to Perseverance. The JPL team ran Claude’s waypoints through a simulation they use every day to confirm the accuracy of commands sent to the rover. In the end, NASA says it only had to make “minor changes” to Claude’s route, with one tweak coming as a result of the fact the team had access to ground-level images Claude hadn’t seen in its planning process.  

“The engineers estimate that using Claude in this way will cut the route-planning time in half, and make the journeys more consistent,” NASA said. “Less time spent doing tedious manual planning — and less time spent training — allows the rover’s operators to fit in even more drives, collect even more scientific data, and do even more analysis. It means, in short, that we’ll learn much more about Mars.”

While the productivity gains offered by AI are often overstated, in the case of NASA, any tool that could allow its scientists to be more efficient is sure to be welcome. Over the summer, the agency lost about 4,000 employees – accounting for about 20 percent of its workforce – due to Trump administration cuts. Going into 2026, the president had proposed gutting the agency’s science budget by nearly half before Congress ultimately rejected that plan in early January. Still, even with its funding preserved just below 2025 levels, the agency has a tough road ahead. It’s being asked to return to the Moon with less than half the workforce it had during the height of the Apollo program.     

For Anthropic, meanwhile, this is a major feat. You may recall last spring Claude couldn’t even beat Pokémon Red. In less than a year, the company’s models have gone from struggling to navigate a simple 8-bit Game Boy game to successfully plotting a course for a rover on a distant planet. NASA is excited about the possibility of future collaborations, saying “autonomous AI systems could help probes explore ever more distant parts of the solar system.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nasa-used-claude-to-plot-a-route-for-its-perseverance-rover-on-mars-203150701.html?src=rss 

Sundance doc ‘Ghost in the Machine’ draws a damning line between AI and eugenics

The Sundance documentary Ghost in the Machine boldly declares that the pursuit of artificial intelligence, and Silicon Valley itself, is rooted in eugenics. 

Director Valerie Veatch makes the case that the rise of techno-fascism from the likes of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel is a feature, not a bug. That may sound hyperbolic, but Ghost in the Machine, which is built around interviews with philosophers, AI researchers, historians and computer scientists, leaves little room for doubt.

If you’ve been following the meteoric rise of AI, or Silicon Valley in general, Veatch’s methodical deconstruction of the technology doesn’t really unearth anything new. The film begins with the utter failure of Microsoft’s Tay chatbot, which wasted no time in becoming a Hitler-loving white supremacist. It retreads the environmental impacts of AI datacenters, as well as the ways tech companies have relied on low-wage workers from Africa and elsewhere to improve their algorithms. 

But even I was surprised to learn that we can trace the impact of eugenics in tech all the way back to Karl Pearson, the mathematician who pioneered the field of statistics, and who also spent his life trying to quantify the differences between races. (Guess who he believed was superior.) His legacy was continued by William Shockley, a co-creator of the transistor, an avowed white supremacist who spent his later years espousing (now debunked) theories around IQ and racial differences.

An early robot toy.

Valerie Veatch for “Ghost in the Machine”

As a Stanford engineering professor, Shockley fostered a culture of prioritizing white men over women and minorities, which ultimately shaped the way Silicon Valley looks today. His line of thinking could have had an influence on John McCarthy, the Stanford researcher who coined the term “artificial intelligence” in 1955,  

With roots like that, Elon Musk — known to spout bigotry onlinefoster a reportedly racist work environment at Tesla and  throw the occasionaly few Nazi salute — looks less like an anomaly than part of a pattern. Ghost in the Machine asks a simple question: How can we trust men like this (and it’s almost always men that look like Musk) with our future?

Through its many interviews, which include the likes of AI researcher Dr. Emily Bender, historian Becca Lewis and media theorist Douglass Rushkoff, Ghost in the Machine paints the rise of AI as a fascistic project that aims to demean humans and establish the techno-elite as our de facto rulers. Given how much our lives are already dominated by gadgets and social networks from companies that have pioneered addictive engagement over user safety, it’s easy to imagine history repeating itself with AI. 

Ghost in the Machine doesn’t leave any room for considering potential benefits around AI, which could lead proponents of the technology to dismiss it as a hit-job. But we’re currently at the apex of the AI hype cycle, after Big Tech has invested hundreds of billions of dollars on this technology, and after it has spent years shoving it down our throats without proving why it’s actually useful to many people. AI should be able to withstand a bit of criticism.

Ghost in the Machine is available to view at the Sundance Film Festival’s website and streaming apps from today through the end of Sunday, February 1st.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sundance-doc-ghost-in-the-machine-draws-a-damning-line-between-ai-and-eugenics-180613367.html?src=rss 

The best cheap VPN in 2026

When talking about the best VPNs, I frequently warn about the dangers of trusting free VPNs without verifying them. Although there are a few free VPNs worth recommending, many other free providers are ineffective, malicious or looking to profit off their users (or sometimes all three). Even the best free VPNs work a lot better once you subscribe and access their full service.

This can be frustrating if you want to enjoy the benefits of a VPN but don’t have the budget for yet another subscription. To help you out, I put together a list of the best paid VPN services you can get cheaply. Every name on the list comes with my full recommendation — I’ll never recommend a VPN that doesn’t protect you, no matter how affordable.

Before I get started, I want to define “cheap,” since VPNs often bamboozle the customer with muddled pricing schemes. Most providers have long-term subscription plans with big discounts, and many of them compensate by making their monthly plans more expensive. On this list, I’ll recommend services with cheap subscriptions for both the short and long term, plus one favorite that balances both.

Best cheap VPNs for 2026

Other VPNs we tested with good deals

A couple of VPNs have decent pricing options attached to worthy services but weren’t quite strong enough to make the list. Both these services get my hearty recommendation; they’re just hard to justify as “cheap.”

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN recently switched to a multi-tier pricing model. The Basic pricing tier gets you complete VPN service but doesn’t include the full set of features. The best price on that is $78.18 for 28 months, which works out to $2.79 per month. Although that sounds great, it’s more expensive than both Surfshark and CyberGhost at the same duration and renews at the even higher price of $99.95 per year ($8.33 per month).

Still, as I wrote in my full ExpressVPN review, it’s an outstanding service overall. Thanks to its sensible app layouts and focus on doing simple tasks well, I find it especially good for introducing beginners to what a VPN can do.

NordVPN

NordVPN is another provider that I gave a relatively positive review. I really like its boundary-pushing features, especially the various types of highly specialized servers. Its pricing isn’t bad, exactly, but even the Basic level is more expensive than just about everyone else at every duration. NordVPN’s fast download speeds and wide server network make it worthwhile for lots of users, but it’s hard to recommend to people on a budget.

What to look for in a good cheap VPN

Looking for an affordable VPN is the same as looking for any kind of VPN; it just requires more care. The worst VPNs usually present themselves as free, but there’s also a fair number of mediocre options that think low prices have to mean a mediocre service. If you want to use a VPN but don’t have much extra cash, take some additional care in a few areas of your search.

First, don’t subscribe to a VPN — or even download any of its apps — if you haven’t verified its security. To do that, start by checking what experts have to say about it. If a VPN is truly unsafe, chances are high that somebody has already sounded the alarm. You can also check the list of protocols the VPN offers. If it’s anything other than OpenVPN, WireGuard or IKEv2, do a deep dive to make sure it’s using worthwhile encryption.

If you’ve verified that the VPN isn’t a virus, check to see if it has a free trial or a guaranteed money-back period. This will give you some risk-free time to do hands-on tests. Our article on how we test VPNs includes several tests you can run on your own computer, phone or tablet. Check the VPN’s speed, make sure it has the server locations you need and look for anything that might be leaking your real IP address.

Read the VPN’s privacy policy and make sure you’re comfortable with how much information it saves. Some VPNs emphasize privacy more than others. Finally, before your free trial or refund period expires, make sure to double-check on the pricing structure of the VPN you’re choosing — it’s possible that it will only be cheap for the first subscription period.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/best-cheap-vpn-170000957.html?src=rss 

Sonos home theater gear is up to 20 percent off ahead of Super Bowl LX

Like many other companies during Super Bowl season, Sonos is discounting its home theater gear. Today, you can save $130 on the Beam (Gen 2) soundbar, bringing its price down to $369. You’ll also find deals on the flagship Arc Ultra Soundbar, Sonos subwoofers, and more.

The Sonos Beam is the company’s sub-$500 soundbar. Engadget’s pick for the best midrange model, the compact speaker has impressive sound for its size. Part of that is its Dolby Atmos support. Although the soundbar lacks upward-firing speakers, it uses software tricks to compensate. Audio timing and frequency adjustments make sound seem to come from the side or slightly above.

One of the biggest drawbacks is that the Beam only has one HDMI port. Regardless, that compromise may be easier to accept at Beam’s current $369 than at its usual $499.

Several more home theater speakers are included in Sonos’s sale. If you have a loftier budget for a soundbar, there’s the Arc Ultra. Typically $1,099, it’s now $899. The company’s pair of subwoofers is included as well. You can get the Sub Mini for $399 (down from $499) or the Sub 4 for $759 (from $899).

Although they aren’t explicitly sold as home theater products, the Era 100 ($179) and Era 300 ($379) are also included in the sale. The portable Move 2 isn’t discounted individually, but you will find it in a couple of bundles. You can check out the sale page for the complete list.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-home-theater-gear-is-up-to-20-percent-off-ahead-of-super-bowl-lx-174053619.html?src=rss 

The first season of Amazon’s Fallout show is now free on Youtube

Fallout’s second season is coming to a close, and it’s been well worth the wait. But if a reluctance to add yet another subscription to your streaming rotation means you haven’t watched Amazon’s surprisingly excellent adaptation yet, you might be interested to know that the company is currently releasing season one for free on the Prime Video YouTube channel.

Whether driven by Amazon wanting even more people to watch what has become one of its biggest TV success stories, or a move that speaks to how few people are actually signed up for Prime Video, it’s good news for anyone who hasn’t seen the show yet. Fallout’s first season did a great job of taking everything that’s great about the long-running post-apocalyptic RPG series and weaving it into a wildly entertaining live-action show, elevated by excellent performances from Ella Purnell as a hopelessly naive but endearingly optimistic vault-dweller, and Walton Goggins as the Ghoul.

Amazon is currently adding a new episode each day ahead of next week’s season two finale, presumably hoping a whole new set of fans hop straight into that once they’re done. But here’s the catch: you only have until February 11 to watch the whole lot. After that, the show will be for Prime Video subscribers only once again.

And that isn’t the the only Fallout freebie up for grabs right now. Between now and February 5, Bethesda’s MMORPG, Fallout 76, is free-to-play on Xbox and PC, while PlayStation players have until February 4. Fallout 76 first launched in 2018, and as a fully multiplayer-focused game it represented a new direction for the series. It was, to put it bluntly, a bit of a mess for quite a while, but Bethesda has never abandoned the title or its player-base, and if you have Fallout on the brain, this is the perfect opportunity to see how it’s looking in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-first-season-of-amazons-fallout-show-is-now-free-on-youtube-162920615.html?src=rss 

How to watch the 2026 Grammy Awards: TV channel, start time, where to stream, nominations list and more

Grammy winner Bad Bunny, seen here accepting his award for Best Música Urbana Album for “Un Verano Sin Ti” in 2023, is nominated again this year. (Timothy Norris/FilmMagic)

Timothy Norris via Getty Images

The 2026 Grammy Awards honor music’s biggest achievements of the year, and some of the biggest stars on the planet are nominated this year. Kendrick Lamar leads the way with nine nominations, including for Record and Song of the Year for “luther,” his collaboration with SZA. Other top nominees this year include Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Cirkut with seven nominations apiece, and Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Leon Thomas, who have six. The 2026 Grammy Awards will be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, who also happens to be a nominee this year in the Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling category. 

The 2026 Grammys will take place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and the broadcast will air this Sunday, Feb. 1, at 8PM ET/5PM PT on CBS, streaming live on Paramount+ (for Premium subscribers only). The 2026 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony — where the majority of the Grammys are actually awarded — will take place earlier that same day, from 3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT, and streams live free on YouTube.

Here’s how to watch the 2026 Grammy Awards live this Sunday.

When are the 2026 Grammy Awards?

The 68th Grammy Awards will be held this Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.

Grammys start time

The Grammy Awards live TV broadcast begins at 8PM ET/5PM PT. It’s scheduled to run until 11:30PM ET.

Prior to the main broadcast, the 2026 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony (this is where you can watch the awards for categories like Musical Theater, Americana, Reggae, Metal, Gospel and more) will take place from 3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT. The Grammys Premiere Ceremony will stream live for free at live.GRAMMY.com and on YouTube.

Grammy Awards TV channel

The 68th Grammy Awards will air on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ for Premium subscribers. The awards show will also be available the following day on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers.

How to watch the Grammys without cable

How to watch the 2026 Grammys free

Who is performing at the 2026 Grammy Awards?

Among this year’s Grammy’s performers are Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Album of the Year nominees Clipse and Pharrell Williams, and every Best New Artist nominee, including Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, SOMBR, and The Marías.

This year’s In Memorium honoring artists we’ve lost this year will include a musical tribute from Reba McEntire, Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson, a performance from Ms. Lauryn Hill in honor of D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, and an Ozzy Osbourne tribute from artists like Post Malone, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and Slash.

Who is hosting the Grammys this year?

Trevor Noah will return to host the Grammys for the sixth and final year.

Who is presenting at the 2026 Grammys?

While the full list of Grammys presenters has yet to be released, we do know that Harry Styles and Doechii will be presenting.

Grammy Awards new categories

This year’s Grammys will see the return of the award for Best Album Cover (after 53 years!). This year, the category of Best Country Album will now be split into two awards: Best Contemporary Country Album and Best Traditional Country Album.

Grammys eligibility window

The 2026 Grammy Awards will recognize music released from August 31, 2024 to August 30, 2025.

2026 Grammy nominations

Here are the nominees for the 68th Grammy Awards.

Album of the Year

Bad Bunny — Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Justin Bieber — Swag

Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend

Clipse, Pusha T & Malice — Let God Sort Em Out

Lady Gaga — Mayhem

Kendrick Lamar — GNX

Leon Thomas — Mutt

Tyler, the Creator — Chromakopia

Record of the Year

Bad Bunny — “DtMF”

Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”

Doechii — “Anxiety”

Billie Eilish — “Wildflower”

Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”

Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA — “Luther”

Chappell Roan — “The Subway”

Song of the Year

Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”

Doechii — “Anxiety”

ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”

Bad Bunny — “DtMF”

HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI) — “Golden”

Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA — “Luther”

Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”

Billie Eilish — “Wildflower”

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marías

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

Best Pop Solo Performance

Justin Bieber — “Daisies”

Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”

Lady Gaga — “Disease”

Chappell Roan — “The Subway”

Lola Young — “Messy”

Best Pop Vocal Album

Justin Bieber — Swag

Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend

Miley Cyrus — Something Beautiful

Lady Gaga — Mayhem

Teddy Swims — I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)

Best Alternative Music Album

Bon Iver — Sable, Fable

The Cure — Songs of a Lost World

Tyler, the Creator — Don’t Tap the Glass

Wet Leg — Moisturizer

Hayley Williams — Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party

Best Rock Album

Deftones — Private Music

HAIM — I Quit

Linkin Park — From Zero

Turnstile — Never Enough

YUNGBLUD — Idols

Best Rap Album

Clipse, Pusha T & Malice — Let God Sort Em Out

GloRilla — Glorious

JID — God Does Like Ugly

Kendrick Lamar — GNX

Tyler, the Creator — Chromakopia

Best R&B Album

GIVĒON — Beloved

Coco Jones — Why Not More?

Ledisi — The Crown

Teyana Taylor — Escape Room

Leon Thomas — Mutt

Best Contemporary Country Album

Kelsea Ballerini — Patterns

Tyler Childers — Snipe Hunter

Eric Church — Evangeline vs. The Machine

Jelly Roll — Beautifully Broken

Miranda Lambert — Postcards From Texas

Best Traditional Country Album

Charley Crockett — Dollar a Day

Lukas Nelson — American Romance

Willie Nelson — Oh What a Beautiful World

Margo Price — Hard Headed Woman

Zach Top — Ain’t In It for My Health

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Dan Auerbach

Cirkut

Dijon

Blake Mills

Sounwave

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen

Edgar Barrera

Jessie Jo Dillon

Tobias Jesso Jr.

See the full list at Grammy.com.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-watch-the-2026-grammy-awards-tv-channel-start-time-where-to-stream-nominations-list-and-more-150015179.html?src=rss 

Engadget Podcast: What do prediction markets like Kalshi cost us?

Somehow, we live in a world where people can bet on practically anything using sites like Polymarket and Kalshi. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell dive into the world of prediction markets. How did we get here? And is endless betting having an effect on the real world? Also, we chat about the new American version of TikTok, which stumbled during its first weekend with a litany of errors and reported censorship.

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Topics

Who’s going to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Tri-fold for $2900? – 1:18

Tesla is killing off the Model X and S lines to focus on its Optimus robot moonshot – 6:46

Amazon plans to cut 16,000 jobs and close its grocery stores in another round of restructuring – 10:45

Most of the UK will lose access to Pornhub in a fight over age verification and privacy – 21:16

Internal messages from Meta about Instagram being ‘a drug’ for teens could be bombshell evidence at trial – 26:59

What are prediction markets and why are they suddenly so popular? – 32:11

As TikTok US stumbles, users ask ‘is it server problems or censorship?’ – 46:55

Around Engadget – 59:11

Pop culture picks – 1:01:23 

Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Karissa Bell
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/engadget-podcast-what-do-prediction-markets-like-kalshi-cost-us-143113799.html?src=rss 

DeepSeek reportedly gets China’s approval to buy NVIDIA’s H200 AI chips

The Chinese government has given DeepSeek its approval to purchase NVIDIA’s H200 AI chips, according to Reuters. ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have also reportedly received permission from Beijing to buy a total of 400,000 H200 GPUs. Reuters says Chinese authorities are still finalizing the conditions they’re imposing on the companies to be able to proceed with their orders, so it may take a while before they’re able to receive their shipments. In addition, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang told reporters that his company has yet to receive orders from the aforementioned firms and that he believed China is still finalizing their licenses.

In December 2025, the US government allowed NVIDIA to sell its second-best H200 processors to vetted Chinese companies in addition to its H20 model in exchange for a 25 percent tariff on those sales. China previously dissuaded local companies from purchasing NVIDIA’s H20 chips, but it recently agreed to import hundreds of thousands of H200 units after Huang’s visit to the country. While Chinese companies are striving to rely on local manufacturers, such as Huawei and Baidu, for AI chips, NVIDIA’s technology is still more advanced. The H200 is only second to NVIDIA’s B200 and is around six times more powerful than the H20.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission is the agency in charge of determining the conditions Chinese companies have to meet in order to buy H200 units. Stateside, DeepSeek’s purchase could lead to questions from authorities. As Reuters notes, a lawmaker has just accused NVIDIA of helping DeepSeek develop AI models that were subsequently used by the Chinese military.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/deepseek-reportedly-gets-chinas-approval-to-buy-nvidias-h200-ai-chips-130000933.html?src=rss 

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