Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated with both Myst and Riven. I never actually played either, mind you; I was more of a console kid. But even then, I always felt an indescribable draw toward the PC classics. From an outside perspective, they seemed so strange and alluring. At some point, I almost didn’t want to play them. I was happy to leave them as an eternal mystery, puzzles that were better left unsolved.

I finally broke that mindset thanks to developer Cyan Worlds’ new remake of Riven. The ambitious project takes the 1997 puzzle adventure and gives it a modern makeover both on PC and VR. That last part was enough to make me bite the bullet. If I already felt so engrossed by the Myst series from afar, I wanted my first real dive into it to be as all-encompassing as possible. After loading it up on my Meta Quest 3, I’m simultaneously kicking myself for waiting so long to try Riven and glad I did. The VR version is an astonishing adventure that everyone should experience.

The original Riven is the sequel to 1993’s Myst. It’s a first-person point-and-click puzzle game where players traverse a mysterious set of islands in search of the imprisoned Catherine. Actually freeing her is a complicated task. It requires traversing the islands and solving sometimes obtuse puzzles strewn around them. Riven doesn’t explain much; it’s up to players to deduce its internal logic by clicking on everything they can. Those who have the brainpower to make it to the end will find that they’re able to piece together an entire number system through careful observation.

Cyan Worlds’ remake keeps the original game fairly intact, pumping up its visuals and allowing players to freely move. It’s a faithful project — and that’s for the best. Playing Riven in 2024, I’m completely in awe of it. Even from its opening moments, it feels unlike anything I’ve ever played, Several games have tried to build on the ideas of the Myst series (this year’s fantastic Lorelei and the Laser Eyes comes to mind) but nothing quite captures its aura. I feel a visceral sense of isolation, like I’m truly trapped in some otherworldly universe I don’t understand. It’s positively sublime; I’m unnerved and awe-struck in the same breath.

That feeling is only expanded in VR where the remake truly shines. The Meta Quest 3 allowed me to truly lose myself in the world of Riven, blocking out the outside world entirely. I feel the claustrophobia when I’m walking through a narrow pipe or the sense of strange scale when I enter a jungle island and see what looks like an enormous pizza cutter lodged into a wall to my left. I feel like Alice after tumbling down the rabbit hole; everything is wonderfully unfamiliar.

I imagine a lot of players might struggle with Riven‘s actual puzzles. Even as a seasoned fan of the genre, I found myself scratching my head even when trying to deduce what I could interact with. Some of VR’s shortcomings rear their head here. Occasionally clumsy motion controls can make it tricky to spin wheels smoothly. It’s also the kind of game that you really want to take notes during, but that means constantly taking the headset on and off. A screenshot feature helps take out that friction, but it’s always clear that the underlying game was built for PC first.

What’s so incredible about this version of Riven, though, is that you don’t really need to play with the intention of beating it to get the experience. The bulk of my enjoyment came from simply wandering around the odd world and bumping into constant surprises. I jumped in my seat when I got to the bottom of a long staircase only to find two massive creatures that looked like a cross between a pelican and seal. VR emphasizes moments like that even more by giving players an overwhelming sense of scale; they’re enormous!

I didn’t care about freeing Catherine so much. I just wanted to touch every switch, piecing together how its metallic orbs and steam-powered devices worked. Tactile VR controls make that more satisfying than ever, bringing the classic point-and-click genre to its logical conclusion decades later. This is the kind of experience VR was built for.

Whether you’re a longtime fan of the Myst series or a total newcomer, I urge you to give Riven a try. It’s a bold, mystifying tone piece that still feels wholly unique decades later. That’s not nostalgia talking; that’s coming from a new convert who’s still not done wandering those islands like a wide-eyed tourist seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time.

Riven is available now on PC, and it is compatible with VR headsets.

Netflix subscribers, you’re in for several treats in July. While June may have been a little sparse with the original programing, July has Cobra Kai season 6 part 1, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, and a new season of Unsolved Mysteries. Those are just the highlights of the Netflix originals. July is also pretty jam-packed with shows from other networks or studios including the arrival of Suits season 9, all six seasons of Lost, and All American season 6.

Thankfully, Netflix didn’t skimp on the films coming to the service in July. The Back to the Future and Spider-Man trilogies are both back on Netflix alongside several other fan-favorite flicks from a wide variety of genres. It’s an impressive lineup, and yet another example of why Netflix remains the dominant streamer.

To help you make your viewing plans for the month ahead, we’ve put together a complete roundup of everything new on Netflix in July 2024 and everything that’s leaving at the end of the month. Our picks for the month are in bold.

If you’re looking for some additional guidance on what to watch, we also have lists of the best movies on Netflix and the best shows on Netflix. If Netflix isn’t your only streaming service, we also have helpful articles on the best movies on Amazon Prime and the best TV shows on Amazon Prime, as well as plenty of guides for Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max.

Need more suggestions?

Everything new on Netflix in July
July 1

About Antoine Season 1
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Batch 3
Lost Seasons 1-6
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2
Suits Season 9
Amazing Antoine
American Hustle
American Psycho
Annabelle
Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part III
Big Daddy
The Blind Side
Call Me By Your Name
Captain Phillips
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
Easy A
The House Bunny
Jigsaw
The Karate Kid
Magic Mike XXL
Matilda (1996)
The Nun
Paw Patrol: The Movie
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
The Sweetest Thing
Uncle Buck
The Wiz
Zombieland

July 2

Sprint docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)

July 3

The Man With 1000 Kids docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F movie premiere (Netflix Original)

July 4

Barbecue Showdown Season 3 premiere (Netflix Original)
Rhythm + Flow France Season 3 premiere (Netflix Original)

July 5

Desperate Lies series premiere (Netflix Original)
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Season 3
Goyo movie premiere (Netflix Original)
The Imaginary movie premiere (Netflix Original)

July 7

Boruto: Naruto the Movie
The Last: Naruto the Movie
Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie

July 8

July 9

The Boyfriend series premiere (Netflix Original)
Hannah Berner: We Ride at Dawn comedy special (Netflix Original)

July 10

Eva Lasting Season 2 premiere (Netflix Original)
Receiver docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)
Sugar Rush: The Baking Point Season 2 premiere (Netflix Original)
Wild Wild Punjab movie premiere (Netflix Original)

July 11

Another Self Season 2 premiere (Netflix Original)
Vikings: Valhalla final season premiere (Netflix Original)
Vanished Into the Night movie premiere (Netflix Original)

July 12

Exploding Kittens series premiere (Netflix Original)
The Mole Season 2 finale (Netflix Original)
Blame the Game movie premiere (Netflix Original)
The Champion movie premiere (Netflix Original)
Lobola Man movie premiere (Netflix Original)

July 15

Wonderoos series premiere (Netflix Original)
Midnight Sun
Trolls Band Together

July 16

Homicide: Los Angeles docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)
Chad Daniels: Empty Nester comedy special (Netflix Original)
The Boy Next Door
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Freed

July 17

The Green Glove Gang Season 2 premiere (Netflix Original)
Simone Biles Rising docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)
T・P Bon Season 2 premiere (Netflix Original)

July 18

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 premiere (Netflix Original)
Master of the House series premiere (Netflix Original)

July 19

Laliga: All Access docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)
Sweet Home final season premiere (Netflix Original)
Too Hot to Handle Season 6 premiere (Netflix Original)
Find Me Falling movie premiere (Netflix Original)
Skywalkers: A Love Story documentary premiere (Netflix Original)

July 23

July 24

Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam docuseries premiere (Netflix Original)
Love of My Life series premiere (Netflix Original)
Resurrected Rides series premiere (Netflix Original)

July 25

The Decameron series premiere (Netflix Original)
Kleo Season 2 premiere (Netflix Original)
Tokyo Swindlers series premiere (Netflix Original)

July 26

The Dragon Prince Season 6 premiere (Netflix Original)
Elite final season premiere (Netflix Original)
House of Ga’a movie premiere (Netflix Original)
Non Negotiable movie premiere (Netflix Original)

July 27

July 31

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 premiere (Netflix Original)
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa documentary premiere (Netflix Original)

Leaving Netflix in July
July 7

July 14

July 15

July 23

July 31

American Graffiti
Anaconda
Enough
Fatal Attraction
Glass
Hulk
King Richard
Knocked Up
Lucy
Moneyball
Public Enemies
Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Retribution
Role Models
Shrek
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit II
Something’s Gotta Give
The Great Wall
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Theory of Everything
Top Gear, seasons 29-30
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By the end of June, you’ve probably already blazed through all 10 episodes of the hotly-anticipated third season of The Bear. Now what? You can scroll through the expansive Hulu library of other titles to find something good to watch next. Or you can rely on our assistance to guide you to the best options.

From Shōgun and We Were the Lucky Ones to Unprisoned, which returns with its second season this month, and old favorites like American Horror Story, there’s a wide variety of choice on Hulu. Catch up on shows you know are returning soon by watching the previous seasons, or binge your way through entire series of ones that have always been on your watch list. Find lots of great choices in our selection of the best shows on Hulu right now.

Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best movies on Hulu, the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and the best shows on Disney+.

From sci-fi fantasy series to compelling dramas, hilarious comedies, and exciting new content from one month to the next, Apple TV+ has a lot to offer. A subscription, which you can get on its own or with an Apple One bundle, includes access to all the content with one, single tier that offers the best picture and audio quality.

If you have worked your way through favorites like Ted Lasso and Severance already and want to find the next show to watch on the streaming service, this list will help you choose. We have put together all the best shows on Apple TV+ right now along with brief descriptions of what they’re about and why they’re great. Have a read and you’ll probably want to bookmark a few titles to watch later, or start watching right now.

Looking for more TV shows? We’ve got all the guides for you, including the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Disney+, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Amazon Prime Video.

Connections is the latest puzzle game from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.

Some days are trickier than others. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s Connections puzzle, check out our tips and hints below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end.

How to play Connections

In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc.

There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections.

Each group is color-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups.

Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends.

Hints for today’s Connections

We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below.

Today’s themes

SHOW THE WAY
SCHEME
SEEN ON A U.S. DOLLAR BILL
FIRST WORDS OF CANADIAN PROVINCES/TERRITORIES

One-answer reveals

SHOW THE WAY – DIRECT
SCHEME – CON
SEEN ON A U.S. DOLLAR BILL – EAGLE
FIRST WORDS OF CANADIAN PROVINCES/TERRITORIES – BRITISH

Today’s Connections answers

Still no luck? That’s OK. This puzzle is designed to be difficult.  If you just want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve got you covered below:

SHOW THE WAY – DIRECT, GUIDE, LEAD, USHER
SCHEME – CON, HUSTLE, RACKET, STING
SEEN ON A U.S. DOLLAR BILL – EAGLE, PYRAMID, SEAL, WASHINGTON
FIRST WORDS OF CANADIAN PROVINCES/TERRITORIES – BRITISH, NORTHWEST, NOVA, PRINCE

Connections grids vary widely and change every day. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, be sure to check back in tomorrow.

We have the solution to Wordle on July 1, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We’ve placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don’t ruin the surprise before you’ve had a chance to work through the clues. So let’s dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday’s answer.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Let’s start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday’s Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don’t play it daily, which was “BUDDY.” So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn’t that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.

Hints for today’s Wordle

Still can’t figure it out? We have today’s Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let’s take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there’s no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive — you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses three vowels.
Today’s Wordle is a traditional saying or proverb that expresses a common experience or general truth.

Today’s Wordle answer

No luck? Don’t sweat it — you can’t get them all! If you just want to see today’s Wordle answer to continue your streak, you can find it below.

The answer to today’s Wordle is …

ADAGE
Today’s Wordle definition

And here’s what it means, according to our good friend ChatGPT:

Tips for tomorrow’s Wordle

It might seem like Wordle is all luck, but there are a few good practices you can use to help get as many clues as possible in just a few guesses, making it that much more likely you can figure out the final word before you run out of tries. The most important guess is your first, and the trick is to load up on vowels (A, E, I, O, and U).

Some popular starting words people have had good luck with are “adieu,” “media,” “arise,” and “radio.” Just make sure not to pick a word with double letters, or you’re wasting precious guesses. The aim here is to try to figure out which vowels the mystery word contains, then layer in common consonants and close in from there.

Your second word, assuming that the first one gave you a good jumping-off point, should begin to lean more heavily on common consonants like R, S, and T. More good ones here we’ve seen are “stern,” “irate,” and “atone.” You never want to reuse any letters from a prior round that showed up as gray — you know they aren’t in the word.

Now that’s all solved and the definition is taken care of, and you’re armed with some tips to crush tomorrow’s Wordle, here are some games like Wordle you can try today.

NASA has insisted that its two Starliner astronauts are not stranded in orbit as it continues to investigate issues with the thrusters on the spacecraft. which is currently docked at the International Space Station (ISS).

The Starliner brought NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS on June 6 in what was the first crewed trip for the vehicle. But on the final approach to the orbital outpost, it became apparent that five of the Starliner’s thrusters were not functioning in the correct way.

The thrusters serve to maintain the appropriate orientation of the crew capsule and will be vital for guiding the Starliner toward its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere when the vehicle finally returns home. The agency has also been investigating five helium leaks that occurred on the Starliner during its journey to the ISS.

In a media conference streamed online on Friday, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said: “I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space.”

Stich said the plan is to bring the two astronauts back to Earth on the Starliner and that there was no rush to get the pair home.

The original mission would’ve seen Williams and Wilmore spend about a week aboard the station, but their time in orbit is now approaching the four-week mark with no target date announced for their return.

In a worst-case scenario, if engineers deem the condition of the Starliner too risky for the astronauts to travel in, it’s possible Williams and Wilmore could hitch a ride home on a docked Crew Dragon spacecraft operated by SpaceX. Alternatively, they could wait for a SpaceX Crew Dragon to be prepped and sent for them in a similar way to how a NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two cosmonauts waited for a Russian Soyuz spacecraft after the one they traveled in suffered damage while docked at the station.

Apple today announced that it’s reduced the cost of a subscription to MLS Season Pass to $49 for the rest of the 2024 season. That’s down from the original price of $99 at the start of the season. (And it hit $69 at the end of April.) And if you’re also subscribed to Apple TV+, that price drops even further, to $39 for the rest of the season.

In addition to all the regular-season MLS games, you’ll get MLS All-Star events and the second-annual Leagues Cup event (which pits MLS clubs against the best from Mexico’s Liga MX). The top three from that 77-match tournament will find themselves in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

And the price drop comes just in time for the El Trafico match on July 4 — that’s LA Galaxy vs. LAFC at the Rose Bowl. Last year’s game had a record 82,110 fans in attendance.

MLS Season Pass matches are available in English and Spanish. And if you can’t stand to watch just one game, MLS 360 is a whiparound show that brings you the top plays and goals from all the games, as they’re taking place. (It’s also available in English and Spanish.)

And MLS proper is just the tip of the iceberg. A subscription also gets you access to MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT, so you can see the up-and-comers who will constitute the league in future years.

MLS Season Pass is exclusively on Apple TV (the app), which is available on all Apple devices, as well as on pretty much every other modern streaming platform. That includes Roku and Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Android TV, various smart TVs, and in a web browser.