best travel videos reddit

Best Travel Vloggers and YouTubers to Follow in 2024

As a travel vlogger myself, I may be biased but I think that travel vloggers provide a captivating insight into the world of travel and adventure. You can explore destinations from the comfort of your sofa and get endlessly inspired for your next trips.

The visual storytelling that video content allows for is perfect for travel. I think it’s an amazing way to discover new and unique perspectives on travel.

Travel videos resonate with aspiring adventurers in a way that can be difficult with written content.

Plus, it’s a great way of getting to know a creator and the face behind a travel blog . I love that travel vlogs provide a more personal approach that combines an informative experience with wonderful creativity.

To help you discover the best travel content out there, I have compiled a list of the top travel vloggers and YouTubers for the most engaging travel video content.

I’ve included sections on solo female travellers, family travel vloggers, British travel vloggers, and travel couples. 

From personality-led travel vlogs to stunning cinematic masterpieces, here is my pick of the best travel vloggers and YouTubers to follow in 2024.

Author Bio: Jessie Moore

Jessie Moore is a luxury travel expert with years of experience travelling the world to find the best destinations, hotels and adventures.

Top travel vloggers

Fearless and far.

Mike Corey is the man behind adventure travel vlog, Fearless and Far . I love that he journeys to weird and wonderful destinations, which are far away from the mainstream.

It is a wonderfully creative vlog that encourages people to face their fears to travel the world.

Mike approaches travel and life as an extreme sport. The results are wild, unique, and downright crazy travel experiences. His travel vlogs are a rollercoaster of adventure and adrenaline-fuelled travel.

Drew Binsky

Drew Binsky is an American travel vlogger and Youtube documentary maker. His travel vlog has a heavy focus on discovering and celebrating the various cultures across the world.

Telling unique stories of the communities and culture behind every location, he brings his viewers daily travel videos.

In a refreshing approach to travel vlogging, Drew puts a spotlight on sociopolitical issues, including human rights, gay and transgender acceptance, and challenging racial and religious stereotypes.

He wants to bust the myth that the world is unsafe, inspiring other people to travel and widen their perspective of the world; which I think is an admirable goal.

As if that wasn’t enough, Drew often features amazing special guests on his channel too.

Nadine Sykora is a seasoned globetrotter who brings an impossibly fun and positive energy to her travel content.

I think her energy is genuinely infectious, adding an optimistic and lively dimension to travel and adventure.

It’s this approach that elevates her storytelling, inspiring young people to travel. Her videos are helpful and informative, from packing guides to handy travel hacks.

Hey Nadine is therefore a great resource for aspiring young adventurers.

Sam Kolder is a Canadian adventurer and creator of exceptional travel videos. As a seriously talented travel filmmaker, Kolder’s videos are nothing short of cinematic masterpieces.

Kold is a channel for high quality travel content, as well as some educational videos for aspiring filmmakers.

In his travel videos, you’ll discover engaging storytelling and the best transitions you’ve ever seen. Kolder is also known for his incredible drone shots and a habit for backflipping off tall structures.

Videos are few and far between but, trust me, they are always worth the wait. My favourite travel video of all time is Kold’s Hey Tim :

Lost LeBlanc

Christian LeBlanc is another Canadian adventurer. His unwavering passion for travel shines through his well executed videos on his YouTube channel, Lost LeBlanc .

He has created a dedicated community of like-minded travellers as a result. I love that LeBlanc encourages his viewers to step out of their comfort zones in the pursuit of adventure and global discovery.

He offers a lot of resources to other aspiring travel filmmakers and photographers, teaching both the creative and business side of the travel vlogging sphere.

Formerly known as Migrationology, Mark Wien’s travel vlog is one for the foodies. He believes that food is the reason you should travel and believe me when I say that his dribble-worthy videos strongly support this claim!

His content combines incredible food discoveries with highly watchable travel experiences.

Mark is based in Thailand with his wife, but he frequently travels all over the world trying amazing food from various different countries and cultures.

He is constantly on the hunt for local delicacies and mouth-watering meals.

Phil Good Travel

In the Phil Good Travel vlog , Phil Calvert travels across Europe sprinkling positivity everywhere he goes. His aim is to promote solidarity between all backgrounds, races, and upbringings.

Given that black travellers are frequently the minority in Europe, Phil has set out to create a community of black travellers in this part of the world.

I love that he brings open-mindedness and optimism to his travel videos, and his enthusiasm is truly infectious.

Sorelle Amore

Sorelle is a quirky bundle of energy with a huge and infectious smile.

Her YouTube channel offers more than just travel, whether it’s home updates or ‘Advanced Selfie’ photography tips. In short, she wants to inspire confidence and creativity.

Her videos feel very authentic, with none of the superficial or forced feel that you sometimes get with other vloggers. Sorelle is constantly striving to be a better human, and tries to inspire others to do the same.

She recently moved to Iceland, so if you love Iceland content (who doesn’t!) then you’ll love some of her latest videos.

Want up to 25% off hotels?

Subscribe to my newsletter and get immediate access to my guide on how to save money on flights and hotels. Our weekly emails are filled with adventure inspiration, insider travel tips and exclusive discounts.

Solo female travel vloggers

Brooke saward.

A travel vlogger from Tasmania, Brooke Saward aims to inspire young people to travel more, and to feel more confident travelling solo.

Brooke documents her travels on her YouTube channel in a way that feels authentic and accessible. A popular blogger, vlogger, author, and adventurer.

Eva zu Beck

Eva zu Beck is an adventure traveller and solo female explorer. On her YouTube channel Eva explores less visited destinations which are not commonly seen in mainstream travel media.

Whether it’s visiting Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, hiking the K2 base camp in Pakistan, or trekking alone through Mongolia.

Eva aims to tell the stories of those people, communities, and cultures that you don’t normally see or have access to. She encourages people to push themselves out of their comfort zones.

A truly inspiring solo female traveller and one of my personal favourites.

I Am Aileen

Aileen Adalid is a travel vlogger from the Philippines. She did what many of us dream of doing: she quit her corporate job at 21 to travel the world.

Aileen shows her viewers how to travel the world as a digital nomad, inspiring her community of travel dreamers to do the same.

On her channel, I Am Aileen , you’ll find beautiful travel videos which are packed full of tips and tricks. I love that she also shows you how to live a sustainable travel lifestyle.

Jennelle Eliana

Known as the woman who lives in a van with her pet snake, Jennelle Eliana’s YouTube channel exploded within a matter of weeks. Her travel vlog has a light-hearted feel with a strong focus on sustainability.

All her videos are shot and edited on her iPhone. I think hte lower production values of her videos provide a more authentic portrayal of van life.

She addresses the less glamorous sides of travel and I love that it doesn’t feel as curated or manufactured.

Oneika the Traveller

A thrill-seeker and travel junkie, Oneika Raymond is dedicated to inspiring people of colour to travel the world and live outside of their comfort zone. She inspires through education and engaging storytelling.

Oneika is not just a successful travel vlogger. She is also an award-winning writer, journalist, and keynote speaker – having spoken at the Women in Travel Summit and Women’s Travel Fest. 

Pocket Wanderings

Okay this is a shameless self-promotion but it would be remiss of me not to include my own YouTube channel in this list!

I’m still relatively new to travel blogging but I’m hoping to grow my YouTube community moving forwards. On my channel you’ll find solo travel tips, luxury travel inspiration and hotel reviews.

Family travel vloggers

The bucket list family.

The Gee family started out when they sold everything and left home to travel around the world to become Family Travel Journalists.

The Bucket List Family travel vlog documents their many adventures and travels across the world.

They describe themselves as “just your ‘average’ family”, playing on the fact that most people wouldn’t consider their adventure-fuelled family life to be ‘average’ at all.

I’m sure that the Gee family will certainly make you question whether settling down is the best way to approach family life!

Hopscotch the Globe

Hopscotch the Globe is run by travel couple, Kristen and Siya. Until recently, they would have fallen into the travel couple section – but now they have a daughter and a dog, they are fully fledged family adventurers.

Their aim is to inspire couples and families to travel more. The couple share travel tips, destination guides, food adventures, and tiny home living on their channel.

I find their videos to be funny, entertaining, and genuinely helpful.

Wolter’s World

The Wolter’s World channel is a great destination for honest travel advice. It comprises a family of four who have lived, studied, worked, and travelled across the world.

Wolter addresses the best and the worst parts of travelling to help his viewers be better prepared.

In sharing honest perspectives, Wolter provides helpful insights into the culture and people of the places he visits.

He has a preference for showing this more realistic side of travel – rather than fancy drone shots and backflips of cliffs. There are new videos every Wednesday and Saturday.

The Makepeace family consists of Caz, Craig, Kalyra, and Savannah. They are on a mission to prove that travel does not have to stop after children.

They have travelled the world nomadically since 1997, so trust me when I say that these guys really know what they’re talking about.

Having travelled solo, as a couple, as expats, as digital nomads, in an RV, and as a family, they bring multiple viewpoints to the travel experience.

Their videos help fellow travel lovers unplug from the chaos, travel more, and create better memories – all with kids in tow.

British travel vloggers

Fun for louis.

Louis Cole is a popular British travel vlogger, recognised by his signature dreadlocks.

He’s also partial to a backflip in wonderful and remote locations. The Fun For Louis channel brings upbeat and charismatic video content.

Louis is a non-stop adventurer, creating daily vlogs – so there is a lot of content to get stuck into. You’ll find a whole variety of creative content and fun adventures on Louis’ travel vlog.

It’s exciting, entertaining, and engaging.

Mr Ben Brown

A talented photographer and filmmaker, Ben Brown documents his travels to far-flung destinations. As a result of his engaging content, Ben has achieved wide acclaim for his YouTube content.

Ben is also a professional athlete, as a two-time world champion kayaker. He is energetic and optimistic, which I think shines through his travel content.

Psycho Traveller

Birmingham-born Aly is a digital nomad who has built an online community of fellow travel lovers. The ‘psycho part’ of Psycho Traveller comes from the fact that Aly is a Psychology graduate. 

I love that Aly provides raw, honest commentary in her content, as well as helpful tips and tricks. She aims to inspire everyone – of all ages and backgrounds – to live the life they want to live.

She is also a best-selling author and public speaker.

Couple travel vloggers

The planet d.

An endearing adventure couple, Dave and Deb live by the motto ‘adventure is for everyone’. They are a refreshing change from the ‘perfect’ travel couples you see plastered all over Instagram.

The aim of Planet D is to inspire everyone to seek adventure – you don’t have to be young, fit and rich to travel. 

Their videos provide valuable information and unique experiences for anyone looking to live a more adventure-fuelled life.

Sailing La Vagabonde

Sailing La Vagabonde is run by Australian couple Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu. It all started with a dream of circumnavigating the globe by sailboat – with no previous sailing experience!

Riley and Elayna share video content around their seafaring experiences, including useful information for those looking to start sailing.

They inspire others to live an alternative lifestyle and also hope to raise ocean awareness. Now they have a baby in tow, so there’s a new and exciting dimension to their travels!

Kara and Nate

Kara and Nate are high school sweethearts who have been travelling the world full-time for five years. They started with a goal of travelling to 100 countries – which they have since achieved and surpassed!

The travel couple embark on all kinds of adventures – from hiking Everest Base Camp to taking the Trans-Siberian Railway.

You can also find a number of resources on travel hacking, YouTube, and entrepreneurship on their blog.

The Endless Adventure

Eric and Allison embody the classic story of leaving steady jobs to pursue a life of travel as digital nomads.

Their YouTube channel, The Endless Adventure , offers a tantalising combination of travel, food, and adventure – all of the best things in life!

I think this is a great channel for travel foodies, as they share some of the most mouth-watering food from around the world.

I have no doubt that Eric and Allison will inspire you to hit the road and pursue a life of adventure.

Flying the Nest

Stephen & Jess are an Australian couple with a passion for adventure. You’ll find a range of travel content on Flying the Nest , from daily life and food discoveries to volunteering and worldly travels.

The couple share a diverse range of travel experiences, from hiking Machu Picchu to overwater bungalows in the Maldives.

Their videos offer a unique historical insight and engaging video content. Plus, they now have a new baby to join their adventures.

I couldn’t possibly fit all of the amazing travel vloggers out there into this list. But these are some of my personal favourites and a great place to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the travel content on YouTube.

As mentioned above, I do have my own YouTube channel ? It’s only in the early stages I’m already in the process of expanding it and any new subscribers honestly means the world.

Jessie is a luxury travel expert with years of experience travelling the world to find the best destinations, hotels and adventures.

Find me on: Web | Instagram

That’s really nice post. I appreciate your skills. Thanks for sharing.

No travel beans in the list! Missing out guy’s

Why not Harold baldr ? Please try out his channel 🙂

Great list!

I follow Steve Marsh out of Scotland, Cecila Blomdahl out of Svalbard Norway, Mathers on the Map out of New Jersey, and Erik Aanderaa out of Norway. All great travel content. Thanks for these. I plan to check out a few.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Pocket Wanderings is a luxury travel and lifestyle brand run by London-based content creator, Jessie Moore. Here you’ll find a community of fellow wanderlusters and adventurers.

Quick Links

About Contact Privacy Policy

17 Best YouTube Travel Channels to Follow

Written By: The Planet D

Digital Nomads

Updated On: December 14, 2022

You may have seen our list of the best youtube travel vloggers written by the outstanding Christine of GrrlTraveler . She introduced us to some of the best travel vloggers who have endured through the years. That list of youtube channels features the heavy hitters and best travel vloggesr on YouTube, including Vagabrothers, Mark Weins, Kristen and Siya, Samuel and Audrey and Hey Nadine. So check that out here .

We didn’t want to mess with Christine’s list, but we did want to share more amazing youtube travel channels with you that we check out weekly. Christine had a strict criteria for her choices for the best travel channel like consistent updates, niche, and channels that bring a new spin on the word Travel Show – (She knows what she likes and she has a TV producing background after all).

Table of Contents

Best Travel YouTube Channels

We chose our list of YouTube travel channels in a similar fashion. They are people we watch regularly, they update consistently, and have entertaining videos and personalities and do creative work. These travel YouTubers combined with Christine’s list are the best travel channels on youtube. They make us want to travel and I know they will do the same for you. 

Most Inspiring YouTube Travel Channels

These are not in a particular order. Everyone on this list is a great travel channel on YouTube. There is something to suit everyone’s taste.

1. MIKE COREY

Mike is one of the most innovative storytellers in travel on YouTube. With his unique editing, fantastic footage and wild sense of adventure you’ll love watching his videos from around the world. Because of his high production value, Mike is hired a lot for companies and brands to make professional travel videos on their channels. Mike is so charismatic, he is a host on the BBC Travel channel too!

2. Drew Binsky

When we first wrote this list (and Christine wrote hers) Drew Binskey wasn’t even on the radar yet. And now he has exploded to become the most successful youtube travel channel out there. He is on a mission to visit every single country on earth and Drew shares videos that take you off the beaten path. He is always showing you what it is really like to travel to a place and he features locals in interviews showcasing their culture and every day life.

3. ARIENNE PARZEI

Arienne has burst onto the scene in the past year, but we’ve known her for quite some time. Winning the Best in Travel at the Buffer Festival in Toronto (this is considered the Oscars of YouTube Travel) she has gone none stop producing quality videos. Her 8 part video series highlights her climb of Mount Kilimanjaro with World Vision Canada. Her videos are professional quality and she is highly sought after by brands and destinations to produce travel videos.

4. Going Awesome Places

Will of Going Awesome Places covers everything travel. From what travel gear he uses, to giving you inspiration to create your own trips. We love his editing style, use of drones and the feeling of taking you into the destination as you travel along. Will has some great adventures and is a serious adventure traveler but he also has a lot of fun showing travels that everyone can do too!

5. Tourist2Townie

Gareth travels slow and really delves into the destination that he visits. Tourist2Townie travelled extensively in Brazil and became a sensation in Brazil. While visiting a Rio favela, we even saw his logo plastered on the walls of the community. Now that’s fame! 

He’s now left South America and is bigger than ever traveling the world and sharing his video series from each country he visits on his exceptional travel channel.

6. Expert Vagabond

Matthew Karsten is the king of adventure travel doing everything from diving with sharks in South Africa (without a cage) to trekking solo across Greenland. If you want inspiration or need some motivation to get your lazy butt off the couch, check out his videos that he’s posted from his years of travelling around the world.

Update: We shared Matt’s video above in 2019 when updating this article and couldn’t believe this moment never went viral. Well guess what? It finally hit the big time and everyone is buzzing about that penguin now. Check it out.

7. Steve Hanisch

Steve is another travel videographer with high production value on his travel channel that is sought after by tourism board and travel brands. He speaks around the world about making travel videos and produces his videos in both English and German. He’s also got a great sense of humour and is an all-around nice guy.

8. Be My Travel Muse

Kristin is one of the top female travel bloggers and is making waves in the travel vlogging world now too! Travel along with your laid back vibe as she goes around the world to places like the Philippines and Mexico to everywhere in between. She does adventure travels and we love how she chats directly to the audience making you feel like a friend.

Maiku runs his own production company and has won several video awards. We always love checking out his videos. He has put together some great video series that keep you hooked on what is coming next. I really like his behind the scenes information and journalist quality videos like the video above showcasing the Toronto restaurant market.

10. David’s Been Here

David Hoffmann has been traveling the world since 2008. We met him in Istanbul and since that time his YouTube Channel that focuses on food and travel has skyrocketed! With videos uploaded nearly every day from 77 countries and over 1,000 destinations, you’ll never run out of things to watch!

11. Getting Stamped

Adam and Hanna are that dreamy couple that you see on commercials showcasing exotic destinations. They were made for starring in their own travel channel. We love going to island destinations with them as they showcase beautiful locales with their drone work and fanstastic cinematography.

12. Vacation Couple

Kristin and Shadi specialize in resort tours and when we book vacations, we check out their travel channel first. Shadi is a graphic artist by trade, so his work is second to none. When you watch their travel videos, you feel like you are watching a Club Med advertisement and will want to book a luxurious getaway right now!

13. Nomadasaurus

Alesha and Jarryd are an Australian adventure couple that have been on the go for since meeting in a hostel in 2008. They’ve recently returned home after a decade of traveling the world and are showcasing their life in a van through fun videos. We love their organic style and sense of adventure in their videos.

14. Christopher Rudder

Chris is a fellow Canuck who shares his love for travel through his cinematic style and very sexy voiceovers. (this is Deb talking here 🙂 I feel like I am watching a full on travel show when watching Chris as he covers everything from adventure to food, culture and city guides.

15. CAILIN O’NEIL

Cailin was one of the first travel bloggers/youtubers we ever discovered. Coming from a film and TV background she puts a lot of information and personality into her videos. Cailin is a fellow Canuck who has a great sense of humour and a talent for storytelling. Coming from a film and tv background, she makes her travel videos feel like a proper documentary-like one of our favourites the Tomatino Festival.

16. Cammy D

Cameron is the son of one of the world’s top travel writers, Heather Greenwood Davis and he is going to be a star. While still in school, he’s been producing travel vlogs about travels that he’s been on with his family. He’s been branching out recently from travel to tackle subjects like racism, the importance of youth voices, and even showing off his talents in video games.

17. Brendan Vanson

Brendan has a great mix of photography tuturials and day vlogging. Mixing his talents for photography and his great sense of humour, he has been able to carve out a unique niche that has attracted a large following. If you love to take pictures of your travels, you’ll love his getting the shots series “Where he explains how he takes his breathtaking images.

18. ThePlanetD

While you are browsing, check out our travel channel on YouTube. We put up new videos every week.

We have adventure travel videos from all seven continents doing everything kayaking in Antarctica and learning to whitewater kayak, to taking a luxury train journey through the Rocky Mountains.

Give us a Follow us on YouTube: We’ve posted nearly 400 videos on our Travel Channel from our 100+ countries visited. You’ll have hours of entertainment and a few laughs.

If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of Canadians on this list. I didn’t know it until I compiled this one but clearly We Canucks tend to have a lot of love for each other. This list is also not in a particular order.

What’s Your Favourite YouTube Travel Channel?

Do you have a favourite YouTube Travel Channel? Make sure to leave a link in the comments below. We’ll keep adding as we find them! 

• 15 Top Travel Vloggers on YouTube
• 16 Amazing Instagram Travel Photographers – Girl Power
• Best Travel Blogs by Category
• 101 Best Travel Quotes in the World with Pictures

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

You May Also Like

Most comprehensive Guide to Living As a Digital Nomad in the USA

How to Become a Digital Nomad – Tips for Getting Started

Best Travel Jobs – Ideas for Your Future Career

About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

Join thousands of others who get our monthly updates!

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

28 thoughts on “17 Best YouTube Travel Channels to Follow”

i culdnt find any better travel insights than this , thanks a bunch

wow, thanks for putting this piece of information together

Thank you Dave and Deb for sharing this great article. Me and my wife We love travelling and when we not travelling, we can watch someone else travelling…)

An indeed insightful collection of travel youtube channels one would wish to watch.

Thank you very much theplanetd.com to telling us about inspiring travel channel.

This Guy “Indigo Traveller” is really a worthy mention. Gives us an insight into North Korea

Way late to the game but I’d recommend Indigo Traveller. He puts out lots of great content, goes to a number of less poplar destinations (including NK), and seems like a genuinely awesome guy to boot.

Check out Chasing Everywhere! She travel the world full time and makes videos of unique places she finds. Really beautiful drone footage and great tips and tricks! youtube.com/chasingeverywhere

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll definitely check them out! This post is a year or so old, so it is time to update it for sure. Cheers Deb

Hey there! When/if you update your YouTube adventure travels to watch list, maybe consider QE Adventures (short for Quinn and Ethan Adventures).

These teenage brothers are skilled videographers and editors and personably narrate their family friendly high adventures in a style that makes audiences wish they’d come along. It’s one of the few channels with videos from the teenage travelers’ perspectives.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1K9qsPWma9X-tEmrK4wq6Q

Love this post!! Thankyou!! So much inspiration in one page its insane! You guys should definitely check out our youtube channel too! We are Mami & Papi – young parents with a passion for life! Our channel is recent but slowly upcoming – we hope to become insipration to others too one day 🙂 https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8vQHR5Du1dx1LVEoqL_KUQ

Thanks for sharing your channel. I’ll be sure to check it out and all the best to you!

Hi, Dave and Deb.

Have to say a relay wonderful blog 🙂 Something similar what we have started our self, but we are aiming for local travel experience in our small but very beautiful country Lithuania. As I see you haven’t been here. You are very very welcomed here. Although we are small but that does not mean we don’t have anything to show 🙂 Would be super so see your experience of our countr here 🙂

Cheers, Auste and Justas @ TravelingLithuania

Thanks! We’d love to come to Lithuania in the near future.

What is with the popularity contest? This is the same boring list that everyone publishes. I’m so tired of seeing the same people on these lists, two of whom should not be included!

You are more than welcome to add some names. We asked if anyone had someone to add. So put them on the list. These are the people we follow and enjoy. Also, there is another list that Christine wrote for us just before we compiled this one. that we talked about at the beginning of this blog post. (if you read it) And the reason we decided to do a part two. Sorry if you are not on it, I am not familiar with your videos, but I’ll take a look. I don’t know everyone out there. But I try.

Ah, I just went and took a look at your YouTube travel channel and see that you haven’t posted in two years. That would be the reason I hadn’t thought of you. Good luck if you start posting again. PS, I deleted your comment made under the John Doe email address as I see it is from the same IP address as you, (within minutes of each other) and nobody needs to read a second complaint saying the same thing by you under a pseudonym. But I left yours up because I feel that people have a right to their opinion. Cheers!

Great collection, getting entertained and inspired to travel. Thanks

Amazing collection of channels here! I really dig the aggregation and attribution going on. Thanks for sharing these channels with us!

Thanks for the recommendations, I will check these out!

So my channel isn’t quite as robust as many of the ones mentioned here, but it does highlight a part of the world that none of these Youtube channels even go near. Check it out! I’d love to hear your feedback.

Xinjiang | FarWestChina Youtube Channel

Thanks for sharing Josh, I’ll definitely check you out! You should leave your link so everyone can find you!

Thanks i will bookmark this for making video.

Great post! Will be hanging out on YouTube for the rest of the night!

Awesome read, i mostly use YouTube for food so its great to see that there are some awesome streams about travel that will excite my wanderlust 🙂 lovely read

I like this blog. thanks for the blog. it was very informative and the pictures are captured very beautifully.

Great photos. thanks for the blog. I like this blog.

The one thing that you have noticed is that those who make YouTube travel video has best of their components and top quality video camera devices which let them take best of shots make them look like a professional photographer.

• Reviews TV REVIEWS   v1.11 HEADPHONES REVIEWS   v1.7 MONITOR REVIEWS   v2.0 SOUNDBAR REVIEWS   v1.3 MOUSE REVIEWS   v1.5 KEYBOARD REVIEWS   v1.3.1 PRINTER REVIEWS   v1.2 VACUUM REVIEWS   v1.3 PROJECTOR REVIEWS   v0.9 TOASTER REVIEWS   v1.0 BLENDER REVIEWS   v1.0 AIR PURIFIER REVIEWS   v1.0 KEYBOARD SWITCH REVIEWS   v1.0 SPEAKER REVIEWS   v0.8 CAMERA REVIEWS   v0.12.1 LAPTOP REVIEWS   v0.8.2
• In Progress
• Newsletters
• Table of Contents
• Best Camera
• Best Full Frame
• Best Mid-Range
• Best Budget
• Best Point-And-Shoot
• Best Vlogging

Notable Mentions

Recent updates, all reviews, the 6 best travel cameras - spring 2024 reviews.

A good camera can be an indispensable travel companion, letting you capture your adventures abroad to share with friends and family. For many, the best option for traveling will be the camera you've already got in your pocket—your smartphone. If you want to step up your photography game, however, there are plenty of great cameras out there that won't take up too much space in your luggage. While it can be hard to narrow them down, it's important to consider things like portability, battery life, build quality, your own ergonomic preferences, and, of course, your budget.

We've bought over 100 cameras, and below, you'll find the best cameras for travel photography that we've tested in our lab. If you're specifically looking for a point-and-shoot camera, check out the best compact cameras for travel  instead. Or, if you're interested in capturing beautiful landscapes on your travels, the  best cameras for landscape photography might also be of interest. Travel vloggers can also look at our top vlogging picks .

Best Camera For Travel

The OM SYSTEM OM-5 is one of the best travel cameras you can get. As part of the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system, it offers a good combination of portability, ruggedness, and image quality. Though it isn't as heavy-duty as higher-end models like the OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II or the older Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III , it has a more compact body that makes it better for travel. Plus, it's compatible with a wide selection of portable MFT lenses that will keep the overall size of your kit down.

Beyond its size, the camera feels well-built with weather-sealing. It also has an excellent five-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system, which can reduce camera shake in travel vlogs or help you shoot at slower shutter speeds without a tripod. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the longest battery life, so you might have to buy a spare battery for long days on the go, but overall, this is an excellent travel camera for the price. If you want to save even more money, the older Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is nearly identical and can be found for less if you buy used, though it uses an older processor and lacks some extra features like 'Live ND' mode.

See our review

Best Full Frame Camera For Travel

If image quality is your top priority, the Sony α7C II is one of the best cameras for travel photography you can buy. It's one of the few full-frame cameras on the market that boasts such a compact size. While it's still the largest option on this list, and full-frame lenses are typically larger, it's impressive how compact Sony made this camera while including features like IBIS and a fully articulated screen.

The real benefit here is a high-resolution full-frame sensor with plenty of dynamic range and great noise handling in trickier lighting conditions. On top of that, the camera has a fantastic battery life and a sturdy, weather-sealed body. That said, its ergonomics leave a little to be desired, particularly when shooting through the tiny viewfinder. The original  Sony α7C  is practically a bargain now if you want to save some money, although the new model is more well-rounded, with better video features and a higher-resolution sensor.

Best Mid-Range Camera For Travel

If you can do without IBIS and want something a bit more affordable, the Fujifilm X-T30 II is a great mid-range option. It uses an APS-C sensor and has a portable, lightweight body that's ideal for traveling. While it lacks more premium features like weather-sealing and advanced video specs, it's still a relatively sturdy camera, and its dedicated exposure dials give you more hands-on control over camera settings.

Aside from its portability, the  X-T30 II  uses a relatively high-resolution APS-C sensor that delivers excellent image quality straight out of the camera. Film simulation profiles make the camera a blast to shoot with and allow you to change up the look of your photos without having to do any post-processing. On top of that, it has a decent autofocus system and a relatively long-lasting battery, making this an excellent travel camera for the price.

Best Budget Camera For Travel

If you're on a tighter budget, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is a great choice that offers a lot of value for its price. Like the higher-end OM SYSTEM OM-5 above, it uses a Four Thirds sensor, making for a remarkably portable camera kit with plenty of lightweight and affordable lens options. It's also a great choice for beginners, thanks to simple controls and easy-to-use creative shooting modes.

This is also one of the few budget cameras to feature IBIS, which can help capture handheld images at slower shutter speeds and comes in handy for stabilizing videos and vlogs. That said, this is still an entry-level model, so it doesn't have the greatest build quality. Its autofocus system can also be sluggish with faster subjects. If you'd prefer a camera with a more reliable autofocus system, the Canon EOS R50 is an amazing alternative and is even a bit cheaper. However, its lens options are more limited, and it's less portable overall.

Best Point-And-Shoot Camera For Travel

A premium point-and-shoot is the way to go if you need something compact but more capable than your smartphone camera. The Sony RX100 VII has been going strong for several iterations, and for good reason. This latest model uses a stacked 1-inch sensor, so image quality is very solid for its class. It's also one of the few cameras that's actually pocketable, so you can bring it with you wherever your travels take you, and its built-in lens has a fairly long zoom range that's great for travel snapshots of everything from landscapes to far-away subjects.

Be aware that compact cameras like this have a limited battery life, though you can always bring a spare battery or a portable battery pack to charge it on the go. The RICOH GR III is a great alternative if you want something more minimalist. It doesn't have a viewfinder, and its fixed focal length lens is less versatile than the zoom lens on the Sony. However, it has a larger APS-C sensor that delivers excellent image quality and is better suited to low-light situations. On the other hand, if you're looking for something cheaper, you can still find older generations of the RX100 on eBay and other used camera retailers.

Best Vlogging Camera For Travel

If you prefer to vlog about your travels rather than photograph them, try the Sony ZV-1. Like the  Sony RX100 VII above, it uses a 1-inch type sensor, performing similarly when it comes to image quality and autofocus, but it has a different design, with no viewfinder and a shorter zoom range. On the flip side, it also has a fully articulated screen that makes it easy to monitor yourself while vlogging, as well as a better built-in mic, complete with a detachable windscreen to cut down on wind noise while recording.

If you want a wide-angle field of view, consider getting the newer Sony ZV-1 II , which has a new wide-angle lens that's a good fit for walk-and-talk vlogs. It performs similarly otherwise, but Sony also removed optical stabilization from its lens. It's a bit pricier, so the original ZV-1 is a better deal overall for most travel vloggers and one of the best video cameras for travel if you need something compact.

• Fujifilm X100V: The Fujifilm X100V is a large-sensor point-and-shoot camera. It isn't nearly as portable as the Sony RX100 VII, and its fixed focal length isn't as versatile as the Sony camera's zoom lens. However, it's still relatively compact, and its larger sensor captures higher-quality images if that's a priority. The Fujifilm X100VI has since replaced it, but it's nearly as hard to find as its predecessor. See our review
• Nikon Z f: The Nikon Z f is an excellent full-frame option for travel, particularly if you like vintage-style cameras. It has a retro-inspired and relatively portable design but isn't as compact as the Sony α7C II. See our review
• Sony ZV-E1: The Sony ZV-E1 is a full-frame camera that's even more compact than the Sony α7C II. It's a great choice for high-quality travel videos, with a sensor optimized for low light. However, it lacks a viewfinder and is generally less versatile for photographers and hybrid shooters. See our review

Jun 04, 2024: We brushed up some of the text in the article for clarity and reviewed the picks to ensure they're still current.

May 08, 2024: We reviewed the cameras included in the article, including their price and availability, to ensure the article is up to date and adequately meets user needs.

Apr 10, 2024: We've replaced the Sony α7C with the Sony α7C II because it's more widely available and offers some advantages for video work. We also removed the Sony ZV-1 from the Notable Mentions, making it the 'Best Vlogging Camera For Travel.' Finally, we added the Nikon Z f to the Notable Mentions.

Mar 13, 2024: We've removed the 'Best Action Camera For Travel' since we've temporarily paused buying and testing action cameras.

Feb 15, 2024: Minor tweaks to text to ensure article is relevant to the current state of the market.

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the top travel cameras for most people, according to their needs. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability (no cameras that are difficult to find or almost out of stock in the U.S.).

If you'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all of our camera reviews, ranked by their suitability for travel photography. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There is no single perfect camera. Personal taste, preference, and shooting habits will matter more in your selection.

clock This article was published more than  4 years ago

The best travel hacks on Reddit

Reddit is home to just about every type of content available on the Internet. It’s where nunchuck videos, cat photos, celebrity Q&As and conspiracy theories come together in online harmony. No topic is too broad or too niche.

For that reason — and that the platform has about 330 million monthly users — it’s become an interesting intersection of travel tips and ideas. We combed through Reddit’s travel “subreddits” (think sections, if you’re not familiar with the site) to find the most useful hacks for your next trip.

How to take care of your skin on a flight

You’d die before you could research every skin-care product available out there for travelers. This thread in r/AsianBeauty breaks down users’ thoughts on the best masks, moisturizers, balms and gels to use while traveling. For example, a flight attendant notes that you don’t have to pare down your routine just because you’re traveling by plane. Instead, decant or de-pot your products into smaller, TSA-approved containers.

Make sure you’re mindful about your beauty routine onboard and consider your seat neighbor. Some Redditors recommend various face mists to use in-flight, but make sure you use them in the lavatory only so you don’t spritz those around you.

How to pick the best travel pants

Not all of the clothes in your wardrobe are good for the road. Instead of spending hours Googling “good travel pants,” check out the crowdsourced answer in r/OneBag , a subreddit devoted to “the art of minimalist packing.” There’s a handful of options, plus arguments to back up those opinions, to find the best-performing pants on the road. Criteria for judgment includes number of pockets, material and durability. Favorites include the ABC Pant Classic from Lululemon for men and the Willary C-Fit Core Pants for women.

As with any online shopping, what works for some people and body types won’t look the same for you. Try ordering a couple options and trying them on well before your trip.

How to blend in when abroad

If you’re trying to fit in outside of the country, there are certain details that will give away your tourist status immediately. Some of those hallmarks are obvious (like a big foldout map or a selfie stick), and some are more subtle. In an r/AskReddit thread, a user asks: “Non-USA Redditors, besides accents, what is a dead giveaway that a tourist is American?”

There’s nothing wrong with being yourself when you travel, but it can be enlightening to learn what others notice about you because of your culture. One easy tell for foreigners is when American travelers ask about directions in terms of miles — not used in the metric system. Other signals included asking for ice in your drink, naming your home city or state rather than country when asked where you’re from, wearing a baseball cap and speaking at a loud volume.

Photographers spill their tips for capturing the best shots while traveling

How to tell if you were in the wrong to deny a family your empty row on a plane

There’s a corner of Reddit devoted to giving users “a place to finally find out if you were wrong in an argument that’s been bothering you.” For Redditor aboveaveragek, the argument in question took place on a red-eye flight across the country. The Redditor had paid extra to book an exit row that appeared to be empty so that he could lie on the seats and get some sleep before landing and going straight to a meeting. Come boarding time, a mother and her two young children were sitting in the Redditor’s exit row and asked him to take her aisle seat instead. “Here’s the thing: if circumstances were different, I would have!” the Redditor wrote. “But I explained that I had a meeting at 8:30 and paid extra for that ticket so that I could sleep.” The mother dismissed the Redditor’s request until a flight attendant stepped in and explained that children couldn’t sit in the exit row in the first place.

Was the Redditor in the wrong to deny the family in the first place? According to the most popular answer (with more than 23,000 “likes” to back it up), you’re allowed to hold on to the seat you paid for, even if that means a family can’t sit together.

How to ditch an itinerary and discover a city

How to know if the stuff in your suitcase is too weird

A post in r/AskReddit prompted users to share the weirdest things anyone had seen or personally packed in their luggage for a flight. It turns out, people are traveling with extremely weird things in tow, including: a chicken preserved by taxidermy, a glove full of about 1,000 pennies, human remains, live spiders, homemade sex toys, amethyst sex toys, metal sex toys, vibrating sex toys, lawn gnomes, a goat skull, a human skull, a whole dead carp, an entire frozen beef brisket, “fake butts mounted on wood,” every kind of knife, and dumbbells. If you’re not sure whether something in your carry-on bag is going to get through security, check out TSA’s What Can I Bring website or tweet them about the object in question @ AskTSA .

How to pick a credit card with travel benefits

Credit cards and their potential benefits operate in an intricate world. Reddit has a bunch of corners discussing every aspect of the credit card universe to help you get the most out of the system. For starters, there’s a breakdown of miles vs. points to clear up that confusion. A next-level credit card subreddit is r/churning , where an active community of people discuss ways to profit from sign-up offers. They host daily and weekly digital meetups to discuss pros, cons, gleaned wisdom and painful lessons learned. Once you’ve found the right credit card for you there, find out how to use your points on r /awardtravel .

Checking a bag vs. carrying on is the great debate of airline travel

Universal is building a new theme park to challenge Disney’s dominance

Introducing By The Way, a new digital travel product from The Washington Post

• The Biggest YouTube Controversies, Ranked By Ho...
• Best YouTubers of All Time
• YouTubers Who Quit Posting
• Gaming Channels
• Best Vloggers
• Celebrities on YouTube
• YouTuber Hall of Shame
• Free Movies On YouTube
• Must-Hear Podcasts
• The Best YouTube Documentaries You Don’t Need A...

The Best Travel Channels on YouTube

A ranked list of the best travel channels on YouTube , as voted on by fans of the channels themselves. Whether you a planning a trip to Disney or day-dreaming about sandy beaches, YouTube is a great place to find videos about all things travel. These channels produce some of the best travel videos on YouTube, so definitely subscribe if you like what you see below. With so many YouTubers creating good travel videos on a weekly basis, you're bound to find something you like from at least one of them. These are the top travel YouTube channels according to views and number of subscribers, but bigger doesn't necessarily mean better since you're voting for your favorite channels in the travel category.

If you're not sure which park has the best roller coasters , check out the videos on the Theme Park Review YouTube channel. The Travel Channel is your go-to YouTube destination for planning an exotic retreat.

Inside the Magic

Theme Park Review

Travel Channel YT

Turkish Airlines

MouseSteps / JWL Media

Disneyland Paris

Travel Channel

Disney Parks

FloridaYalta

British Airways

Tips For Travellers

Attractions Magazine

California Travel Tips

Real Russia

CoasterForce

Ervans Trains

UndercoverTourist.com

stillsoundlyawake

Realidade Americana

rachaelmatt

kirakirayuji

helpmefindparents

Sharp Productions

• Entertainment
• Watchworthy
• Places/Travel

Day or night, rain or shine, YouTube is always there for you. "Like" and Subscribe to these top YouTubers and channels to let them know you appreciate their loyal company.

8 Best Sites To Find Free Video Footage for Your Travel Vlog

by Paul @ Travel is Life | Apr 11, 2021 | Travel Bloggers | 0 comments

Hey traveler, while you’re here join my   friends list   to get all the perks I offer at Travel is Life.

Do you need free video footage to use in your travel vlog? Here's my curated list of the best free video sites that offer royalty free videos for commercial use with no attribution required.

As much fun as it would be to travel to every corner of the Earth and capture every second of footage I need for my videos , I can't be everywhere at once, so I often rely on stock videos to fill in the gaps. And whenever possible, I gravitate towards using free video footage that's offered under the Creative Commons Zero , or a similar license, that allows me to copy, modify, and use the footage without asking for permission or providing attribution — including for commercial use.

A fellow vlogger in our Travel is Life Creators community recently asked me where I get this CC0 footage, so I've put together a list of my favorite sites.

The list is small, and I'd love to add more sites to it, so if you've got any other sites you'd like to add, drop a comment below this post or e-mail [email protected] . For the sake of keeping this list easy to navigate for other vloggers, I'll only be adding websites that offer CC0 or similarly licensed footage that can be used for commercial purposes without attribution.

The reason I prefer “no attribution” is because it makes things easier to keep up with in the future. I'll often pull from old stock footage I've got downloaded on my laptop that I've used in other videos (as opposed to going back to the websites), and trying to remember where I got it all from for the sake of attribution would be a challenge, so I gravitate towards stock videos that do not require it.

PS: You can subscribe to my videos on Facebook , YouTube , and via my Friends List — or all three! Thanks for being a part of Travel is Life.

Pexels is my favorite free video footage website and the one that I use the most. They offer a great selection of high quality videos and I'm thankful for the community of videographers who share their work on the platform. All photos and videos on Pexels are free to use without attribution (although credit is always appreciated by the artists) via the CC0 license or Pexels license which is similar.

I've always loved Pixabay for their free commercial use photos , but over the past few years, they've also grown their library of free videos as well. They offer a wide selection free video footage from all over the world under their own Pixabay license which allows for commercial use of their videos without attribution, similar to Pexels above.

Coverr started as a side project in 2015 by the developers behind Veed.me — and they've continued to grow it after they sold Veed.me to Fiverr. Their selection is smaller than the sites above, but sometimes it's more about finding the RIGHT video than finding MILLIONS of videos, so it's one more place to look. Their license allows for commercial use without attribution, and only restricts uploading their videos to competing sites.

You've heard of Vimeo by now, right? At one time they were gearing up to be a YouTube competitor, but then they decided to go a different more premium / curated route. Well did you know that thousands of publishers make their videos available for free to the public under the CC0 public domain license? The videos are hit or miss depending on what you search, but there are some diamonds in the ruff within their library, especially if you need some random b-roll footage. Just keep in mind that many of the videos are home video quality because there's no curation involved.

5) ISO Republic

ISO Republic has a relatively limited selection of footage, but their videos are CC0 licensed. They won't have many (or any) results for destination specific searches like “Ecuador” or “North Carolina” but offer a small selection for searches like “Coffee” or “Buses”.

6) FOCA Stock

FOCA Stock has a small selection of CC0 licensed videos, and like ISO Republic above, does not have a wide variety of destination specific videos. However no complaints because it's basically spearheaded by one generous photographer named Jeffrey Betts who launched FOCA in 2014 to share his work for free with the world. He's got a significantly larger selection of photos (tens of thousands) than videos (of which there are only 24 at the time of writing this), however, I'm including FOCA on the list because I love supporting solopreneur projects.

7) Footage123

I don't know much about Footage123 , and they don't offer much information on their site about who's behind the project, but they've got some great drone footage! And if you make travel vlogs, I'd imagine that some quality drone shots for your b-roll would come in handy. Everything on their site is under a CC0 license.

8) RoyaltyFree YouTube Channel

RoyaltyFree is a YouTube Channel that regularly uploads clips that you can use for commercial use without attribution. I can't tell how many videos they've uploaded (hundreds I believe), but all the clips I viewed were good quality. You would need to use a 3rd party YouTube video download tool to access these videos for your vlog.

What'd I miss?

If you know of any other great places to get free stock video footage that allows for commercial use without attribution, please drop a comment below or e-mail [email protected] .

Are you a travel vlogger?

Check out the rest of my free resources in the Travel Creators Success Kit and join our Travel is Life Creators Community.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Paul @ Travel is Life

According To Reddit: These Are The Best Travel Hacks We Should Know About

Thanks to Reddit, we have access to tons of tips about how to make traveling as convenient, easy, and stress-free as possible.

There are some people who travel like pros and have so much wisdom to share. While the rest of us struggle with packing too much (it just seems so important to have several outfit changes a day), these people know how to bring light carry-ons, pack the right snacks, and make any trip feel like a breeze.

Thanks to Reddit, we have access to tons of tips about how to make traveling as convenient, easy, and stress-free as possible. Here are the best travel hacks we should know about, according to people on Reddit.

Ask For An Earlier Flight And You'll Get Perks

For a lot of people, flying is a huge stressor and it feels like it's best to just grin and bear it (or download some good music or podcasts to distract yourself the whole time). Other people enjoy finding flight deals and figuring out how to get the most out of their travel time.

This travel hack comes straight from  Reddit  and it's really smart: talk to someone who works for the airline at the gate and ask if you can be on an earlier flight. They'll have a waiting list for people who are interested in doing this. This person wrote, "The upside to taking a bump is tremendous; there are typically financial incentives and sometimes upgrades on your next flight. If you have to stay an extra night in your location the airline will put you up in a hotel."  They also shared that they've been bumped to an earlier flight that was a direct one, so they didn't have to deal with a layover. Someone responded to this Reddit post and said they once got bumped into business class and even got a voucher for a free round-trip flight.

This sounds awesome because you can save time and get home earlier or start your trip earlier than you thought that you would. And since not everyone knows that you can do this, you'll probably be successful. (And then you'll be the one in your friend group with the clever travel hacks.)

Buy Plane Tickets To Europe Or Outside The U.S. For Thanksgiving

When we think about the craziest, busiest times to be at an airport, we typically think about two major holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are the times when people want to be with their families and people definitely want to fly home.

This travel hack from Reddit is also great: someone shared that they find super cheap plane tickets when they book them for Thanksgiving Day. They said that this works if you're in the U.S. and want to somewhere else. They wrote, "Ticket prices go WAY down if you are leaving the country. Few years ago I wanted to go to Ireland and booked my tickets 2 months in advance. Tickets were around 1,200 dollars every day except thanksgiving which dropped to 550. Have done this every thanksgiving since."

This is a really smart idea since chances are, you've already got some time off work booked if it's Thanksgiving or even Christmas. It would be a good time to go on an epic vacation (if your family doesn't mind you missing Thanksgiving one year, of course).

RELATED:  12 Instagram Photos That Show Just How Disappointing Travel Can Be

These Hacks Help Make Your Hotel Feel More Like Home

Then there are the travel hacks that help make you feel like you're at home when you're staying in a hotel for the weekend or the week. Whatever you can do to feel more comfortable will help a lot. According to this post on Reddit, there's a way to make sure that you can sleep in a dark hotel room: "keep a couple of clip devices (binder clips, chip clips, clothespins, etc) in your cosmetic case or Dopp kit. Quite often hotel curtains don't close completely and you can secure them with the clips."

This hack involves the Continental breakfast that is often available at hotels: take the ingredients and enjoy a lovely sandwich. Someone wrote, "If they have bagels or English muffins, you can make breakfast sandwiches. I don't know why this doesn't occur to people in hotels, but nobody ever makes them. But one day I saw my coworker make one and it just seemed too obvious."

The final thing that you can do in a hotel: if you're given the choice to stay in an upgraded room but would have to pay for it, you can say no. This way, you might be granted this upgrade anyway and it won't cost you anything extra at all. Hotels can book too many people in rooms just like airlines can oversell seats.

If you're curious about some useful travel hacks, these ones from Reddit are really helpful. From how to sleep better in a dark hotel room to getting on an earlier flight, these hacks should make your next trip much smoother.

NEXT:  24 Common USA Travel Tips That Are Actually Really Unhelpful

• TRAVEL BLOG
• TravelSites
• Best Travel Reddits

Reddit Travel

Since its launch in 2005, Reddit has become the go to place on the internet to discuss everything from politics to sport to global disasters. In 2018, it ranked as the third most visited in the United States , and boasted more than 200 million unique visitors every month. It uses a bulletin board system to discuss topics, while its subreddits are communities of users that focus on specific themes. A particularly common theme for subreddits is travel, where people can find information on nearly every location imaginable, as well as discovering itineraries, getting tips and advice or simply just gaining inspiration by looking at the photos and first hand experiences posted by the millions of users. Functioning much in the same way as a forum, anyone can post their thoughts and comments on each piece, adding their own opinion to create a more comprehensive and all-inclusive space for discussion. They are great alternatives to resources such as guidebooks, as they are constantly updating with the latest trends and come from millions of travellers with different perspectives.

For that reason, we have put together a complete list of the top ten subreddits concerning travel-related topics , from ones on camping and hiking to freelancing while on the go. Knowing where to find the communities containing the most useful information on all things travel can be a great resource, whether planning, or already on, a trip, offering an alternative to travel guidebooks and documentaries . They can be accessed by anyone with an account, which is free to sign up to, meaning it does not discriminate against those who are more budget-conscious. We took into account a range of different factors when reviewing each subreddit to ensure that we were only presenting the most helpful ones available, picking out each one’s highlights, what makes it unique, and its potential drawbacks. The pros and cons are also listed in an easy-to-read set of bullet points below each review.

One of the first factors that was considered when reviewing the various subreddits was the variety of content featured on the feed. Scrolling down a page full of text only, although maybe informative, is not considered one the most engaging ways to learn about a topic, and can make the website appear dull or monotonous. Instead, subreddits that feature a wide range of content, including text, images, photos and videos will make it far more interesting for its users, who can gain knowledge without having to read the entire time. Often, a photograph can say more about a place than someone describing it, allowing the viewer to make their own mind up about whether they would like to visit or not, while at the same time making the subreddit more stimulating in general. That being said, r/travelphotos is, as the name suggests, choc-a-bloc with fantastic, inspirational photos, however as a place to gain details, tips and advice on places, it is lacking. Hence, when assessing the subreddits, we made sure to take a look at the content on offer and how varied it was.

Another factor that was taken into account when assessing the subreddits were the guidelines that had been put in place by the admin of the group. As a platform to which anyone with an email address can sign up, the content that is shared is largely uncensored and can vary significantly from group to group. Therefore, it is the role of the subreddit administrators to put in place a set of rules as to the type of content that can and cannot be posted. One of the typical rules on travel subreddits, in addition to the most obvious, is one against the sharing of poltiical propaganda or discussion. This is to prevent the group from alienating certain people and helps keep the content focused on travel-related themes rather than going off on a tangent. A group that is seen to adopt a particular political leaning is not only largely irrelevant to travel, it makes it also appear exclusive and can damage its reputation as a whole. Be that as it may, some subreddit administrators take the job of creating guidelines beyond the call of duty and end up creating a list that is far too longwinded and pedantic. The subreddit DigitalNomad, for example, features a very strict set of rules that doesn’t give the users room to assume anything and that would almost have to be printed off and kept by your side in order to avoid breaking them. For that reason, we looked at the guidelines of each to ensure quality control, as well as to make sure that there was a degree of flexibility to keep the content interesting.

Recommending subreddits that were only relevant to one particular group was something that we tried to avoid doing by finding the ones that appeared, instead, to the widest demographic. Upon reading through various travel blogs, we discovered that many only appeal to those who have the funds to engage in ‘ luxury travel ’, such as staying in boutique hotels , eating out at expensive restaurants and doing activities like skydiving. Hence, we strived, when assessing the various subreddits, to find the ones that catered to all budgets and backgrounds, be it a French traveler on a shoestring or a retired American couple who have just sold their law firm. The subreddit r/freelance was one example of a group which, although useful, seemed mostly to provide for those based in the United States , as the majority of the tips and advice concerned topics such as paying tax in the US. While this is to be expected from a US website in which the vast majority of its users are from North America, the subreddits that featured a more varied and inclusive selection of content tended to be ranked higher in our list than those that accommodated just one particular group.

Finally, we looked at the number of links to other useful websites and groups were included on the subreddit, as well as how useful they were to travelers. Reddit is a fantastic place to gain insight into a variety of topics, however you will sometimes need to acquire more detailed information elsewhere and make bookings on other websites, therefore a good supply of external links is always a useful thing to have included on a subreddit. Groups that had drop down menus with links to the best accommodation or flight reservation sites , for example, were considered as particularly good, while others offered the best places to buy items such as traveling equipment like tents, boots and sleeping bags. The subreddit, Solotravel, has a number of recommendations for travel-related websites, as well as links to other threads on subreddit containing useful information. As a consequence, it was ranked higher in the list than those without external links.

Overall, this list features the top ten subreddits for getting a range of information on travel-oriented topics. Not only does it offer groups that encourage the posting of inspiring photos and helpful tips and advice, it also has related discussion groups dedicated to themes such as freelancing and how to prepare for a move abroad. Reddit, with its simple layout and easy to use features, has been for a number of years, a brilliant place to gain insight into a variety of topics, and travel is no different. Taking into consideration the aforementioned factors, we scoured the website for only the very best subreddits to compile a list of what we believe to be the most resourceful places for travelers, where you will find content sourced from the millions of people who use Reddit everyday. Although we don’t recommend throwing away your guidebook just yet, with this selection of subreddits, you’ll be able to find out almost any information you need, while you can even post your own questions if you don’t see it already featured.

Get Daily Travel Tips & Deals!

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .

Our Favorite Packing Tips, as Seen on Reddit

Ashley Rossi

Ashley Rossi is always ready for her next trip. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram for travel tips, destination ideas, and off the beaten path spots.

After interning at SmarterTravel, Ashley joined the team full time in 2015. She's lived on three continents, but still never knows where her next adventure will take her. She's always searching for upcoming destination hotspots, secluded retreats, and hidden gems to share with the world.

Ashley's stories have been featured online on USA Today, Business Insider, TripAdvisor, Huffington Post, Jetsetter, and Yahoo! Travel, as well as other publications.

The Handy Item I Always Pack : "A reusable filtered water bottle—it saves you money, keeps you hydrated, and eliminates waste—win-win."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience : "A week in a bamboo beach hut on India's Andaman Islands."

Travel Motto : "Travel light, often, and in good company."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat : "Window—best view in the house."

Travel Smarter! Sign up for our free newsletter.

Reddit is an online community platform that happens to be a goldmine for travel advice, particularly when it comes to hacks and packing. After landing on a subreddit (the name for an individual topic forum) when researching a story, I often find myself checking back for more great ideas. Here are some of the best packing tips I’ve found while researching on Reddit.

For more minimalist packing advice and hacks from Reddit, follow the subreddit, r/onebag . You’ll be hooked too.

Carry-on and Personal Item Size Limits for 32 Airlines

Packing Tip #1: Dry Bags Can Do It All

“Always carry a dry bag ~20L to do laundry on the road, as detailed  here . Throw in clothes, add detergent (or a spoonful of dishwashing liquid), and shake or let soak for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Wring clothes out with a towel to speed up drying. This is the easiest way to wash clothes on the road – hotel, hostel, or wherever – without hogging an entire sink. Plus, the dry bag comes in handy for adventures and protecting your laptop in storms.” – ABrotherAbroad

How to Do Laundry on Vacation

Packing Tip #2: Migrate to One Cable

“All in all, I went from seven different charging cables (or battery) to  just a single one.  All devices are at least an upgrade from the previous one, with some offering a  major  upgrade. The devices include:

• Action Camera
• Mirrorless Camera
• Bluetooth Earphones
• Portable Battery
• Portable Storage
• Bluetooth Keyboard
• Bluetooth Mouse
• Wireless Charger
• Travel Adapter
• Flashlight/Headlamp
• Electric Razor/Beard Trimmer

13 devices  that make use [of] the same type of cable

I can charge all devices from a single power adapter that offers three USB-A outputs and 1 USB-C output but it never happens – at worst I have to charge two at the same time as most devices have a fast charge.” – MarcusForrest

Packing Tip #3: Pack Like You Can’t Buy Anything for 24hrs

“What would you want/need? Personally, I’ve lost track of the number of endless bus rides, delayed flights, power outages, and rental car breakdowns I’ve had to deal with. I wouldn’t carry a huge first aid kit, but I would absolutely carry a mini-bottle of Advil and a roll of antacids. I carry a Vapur bottle that I fill and use all the time. I usually have a Cliff bar in my bag somewhere.” – Hakote

Packing Tip #4: Fabrics Are Your Friends

“Always pack at least one quick-dry outfit. Ideally, pack ALL quick-dry items. Nothing you take should require more than 12 hours to dry.” – Hakote

“In my opinion, the combination of merino and bamboo is really nice. Makes the merino stronger, softer and airy. I tend to sweat in it less and just like the feel. My favorite shirt of last year was a Pally’Hi with 60 percent merino and 40 percent bamboo. There is a discussion going on that the bamboo origin doesn’t really matter since it is merely the source for the cellulose to create viscose (meaning things that are often called modal or bamboo are simply viscose) but there is a difference in the way the fibers are treated after spinning. Which means that with a better-quality viscose you get a stronger and lighter fiber.” – ormagon_89

“Invest in at least one item of merino wool. T-shirt, socks, underwear, or button-up shirt. Merino is a game-changer for packing light. They are wrinkle-resistant, and don’t smell after wearing it multiple days.” – GeoffMeetsWorld

Packing Tip #5: Make a Decoy Wallet

“I always pack a fancy looking wallet with a 20 Euro bill and old credit cards. If somebody mugs me that’s what I give them.” – inthenameofmine

Packing Tip #6: Have a Travel Drawer at Home

“I travel enough for work and often with so little notice that I have a ‘Travel Drawer’, with my pre-packed toiletry bag, a pouch with charging cables and other handy stuff, and a packing cube with leggings, a t-shirt, and some socks and underwear in it. I basically corralled that stuff together because on a couple of occasions I had to ask my boyfriend to grab my stuff and meet me at work or the airport, and it was easier to say ‘grab the stuff from the travel drawer’ than to give him a full packing list … Eventually, I added a document folder to that drawer with my passport, social security card, some cash, and other stuff.” – Hakote

Packing Tip #7: Swap Your Liquid Toiletries for Bars

“I use the Neogen green-tea face stick when I travel as a joint face/body wash. It comes in a tube-like a large stick of lip balm, it’s easy to use with or without a washrag, and it lasts forever. It’s also very affordable and doesn’t count as a liquid for TSA purposes. I use one in my gym bag as well.” – violtetviceroy

“I just bought my first Lush shampoo bar and love it, but plan [on] buying a bar of dr. Bronner’s for my body. I personally love the tea tree one, and both bars will fit in my stainless-steel soapbox.  Someone else mentioned their soap turning to mush; I don’t store my soap in the shower and keep the box on the outside edge so water doesn’t get in it, or place it outside of the watered-down area right after using it and it stays together fine.” –bohemianmarie

Packing Tip #8: Rolling vs. Folding

“Folding lacks organization unless I put them in packing cubes. Ranger roll is too finicky and doesn’t save me any space. The bundle method is ok for wrinkles but is a pain for getting individual items out. It would work better for me in situations where I stay in one place for longer periods of time, I.e. long enough to unpack and live out of a dresser/closet instead of my suitcase. I think my new go-to might be a combination of rolling with rubber bands or hair ties and packing cubes or clear bags.” – katmndoo

The Best Packing Cubes Ever

Packing Tip #9: The One Item That Surprised Even Us … The Linen Towel

“As for linen itself, I greatly prefer my towels to both cotton and also to the microfiber camping towel I used before my linen towel. It’s not as soft as a plush cotton towel but it dries me well, dries itself quickly, and folds down much smaller. Linen is also supposed to be much more durable than cotton although I can’t say I ever wore out a cotton towel.” – chackoc

How to Pack a Suitcase: The Ultimate Guide

“Basically, this thing folds up so thin, doesn’t take much space, and most importantly dries up quickly (ie. no bad smell). I tried the microfiber quick-dry towel, and they were not quick-drying, especially in humid weather. They also smell really horrible if not dried properly, and I could never get used to the grippiness of the towel. The only drawback I say for the linen towel is the price and that you have to get used to the roughness initially. After a few uses, the roughness will be gone and it will become smooth.” – polarium

You Tell Us: What are your favorite lesser-known packing tips?

Travel Products Suggested by Reddit Users

Shop the look.

Linen Travel Towel

Backpack-Duffelbag Hybrid Carryon

Collapsible Water Bottle

Merino Wool Socks

Green Tea Facestick

More from smartertravel:.

• Ingenious Packing Tips Every Traveler Should Know
• The  Essential  International  Packing  List
• The  Essential  Carry-on  Bag  Packing  List

Ashley Rossi is always ready for her next trip. Follow her on  Twitter   and  Instagram   for travel tips, destination ideas, and off the beaten path spots.

Editor’s note: Some posts have been edited for clarity.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Top Fares From

Don't see a fare you like? View all flight deals from your city.

Today's top travel deals.

Brought to you by ShermansTravel

Southwest Ireland: 8-Night Trip, Incl. Guinness...

Specialized Travel Services

Luxe, 7-Night Caribbean & Mexico Cruise...

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati

Trending on SmarterTravel

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

Scott Gilbertson

The Best External Hard Drives

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more . Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

If you're running out of storage space on your laptop, or if you need to back up your data and store that backlog of videos you're going to edit one day (I am, I swear), an external hard drive can solve your problem. The trouble is, there are hundreds of drive options ranging from dirt cheap to crazy expensive—which one is right for your needs? I've tested dozens, across operating systems, with different use cases in mind to find the best external hard drives for storage, backups, gaming, video editing, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and more.

Check out our other guides, including How to Back Up and Move Your Photos Between Services , How to Back Up Your Digital Life , and How to Back Up Your iPhone .

Updated March 2024: We've added more buying advice, a section on how we test, and updated prices and links throughout.

• Best for Backups
• Best Portable Drive
• Best for Speed
• Best Go-Anywhere Drives
• Best Padded Drives
• Best Gaming Drive
• Best Bare Drive
• How We Tested External Hard Drives
• Hard Drive Buying Advice

Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off) . This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com , full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more .

Photograph: Western Digital

For incremental backups, which we recommend , speed isn't a huge factor. That's why the first drive I recommend is this Western Digital Elements hard drive. I have been using a variation of the Elements desktop hard drive to make incremental backups of my data for more than a decade now. These drives are big and require external power, but they're some of the cheapest, most reliable drives I've used.

Transfer speeds are not off the charts—the Elements drive I tested scored 120 MB per second for sequential writes on Windows—but again, you should ideally be running backups overnight anyway, and even at these speeds the average PC backup will be done by morning. These drives use USB-C with support for USB 3, and I've had no problem using them with Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Storage options go all the way up to 20 terabytes. Just check the prices; sometimes you can get a 10- or even 12-terabyte drive for not much more than the 8-terabyte version. And I have not seen a huge difference between the Elements line, the WD My Book drives, or the WD My Passport drives . The My Passport drives command a premium price because they're smaller, and the My Book drives have some encryption features that drive up the price, but I find the basic Elements drive is sufficient for most people.

• Seagate Expansion 10-TB External Hard Drive for $230 : Seagate is another reliable drive maker. It never hurts to have more backups, and if you do want multiple backups, use drives from different brands, since it will reduce the chance that both fail simultaneously.
• Western Digital Elements 5-TB Portable HDD for $130 : You can also get a much more portable version of the Western Digital drive for much less, and it doesn't require external power, unlike our top pick.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

These Crucial drives are my favorite general-purpose external storage drives. They're reasonably priced (for a portable SSD) and speedy enough for most uses. The Crucial X9 is a step up from the X6, both in terms of build quality (it's metal to the X6's plastic) and speed, but the X9 is considerably more expensive. The X6 is lightweight and tiny, making it a good choice for working at the coffee shop.

This isn't a blinding fast hard disk. In fact, under the hood, the X6 uses an older drive interface (Serial AT Attachment, or SATA ), which was more common with spinning hard drives. So while it's small and light, its speed is limited by that older interface technology. In my testing on Windows and macOS, that works out to about 550 MB per second read speed and 208 MB per second write speeds. That's good enough for backup and use as an external drive, but I don't recommend it for Xbox or PlayStation use. It does work fine with the iPad Pro though.

By Boone Ashworth

By Simon Hill

By Henri Robbins

Unfortunately, the only connector included is a USB-C cord. If your laptop only has USB-A ports, you'll need an adapter for $10 . Another downside is the plastic construction—it’s a portable hard drive, not an indestructible hard drive. If you're worried about it breaking in your bag, grab a padded case. There are plenty out there like this one .

• Kingston XS1000 2-TB for $106: This tiny little drive is the smallest in this guide. Like the Crucial X6, it has a mostly plastic enclosure, but it has withstood life in my bag quite well. While it's not as robust as the padded options below, it's strong enough for most things. It's also speedy. Kingston claims up to 1,050 MB per second. I never managed that, but I routinely hit around 800 MB/s, with some older laptops closer to 600 MB/s, which is still quite good. The drive bogs down a bit with large files (MP4s, for example), so it's not the best for pro videographers, but for everyone else, this is a solid, slightly cheaper option.
• Crucial X10 2 TB SSD for $185 : Crucial's X10 uses an NVMe flash drive, which makes it significantly faster than the X6. It also has an all-metal enclosure that offers more protection than the plastic of the X6. I have not tested it extensively yet, but from what I've seen, it's a speedy drive.

Photograph: Amazon

This portable drive from SanDisk trounces everything else I've tested in terms of speed. It's lightweight, with an IP22-rated enclosure so it'll stand up to life on the go. It's not the cheapest drive, but if you're backing up in the field and want to get it done as fast as possible, it's your best bet. It's less compact than some of these drives, but I like that, as it makes it easier to keep track of in my bag.

The data transfer speeds in my testing never hit the claimed 1,050 MB/s read and 1,000 MB/s write speeds, but they got close—980 MB/s read and 918 MB/s write. That assumes you have USB-C version 3.0 ports. While this (and most other drives) are backward compatible with USB-C 2.0, that protocol has lower max speeds. (Check your laptop's specifications to see what USB-C version your laptop uses.)

I've used this drive to make weekly backups for almost two years and have had no issues. That said, our friends at Ars Technica, and other users around the web, have noted extremely high failure rates with this drive, mainly with the 2- and 4-terabyte versions. SanDisk has issued a firmware update , which seems to fix the problem, but let this be a reminder that you should always have three backups, on two different media, with one off-site. See our guide How to Back Up Your Digital Life for more backup tips.

• Samsung T7 2-TB SSD for $165 : This was our top pick for speed before I tested the SanDisk. It's not as fast in most situations, but it's still a decently speedy drive.
• Seagate One Touch 1-TB SSD for $85 : I have not tested Seagate's latest One Touch SSD drives, but I have used the company's older spinning drives and found them very reliable.

Photograph: OWC

If you need a drive that can stand up to life in a backpack or camera bag , get wet, or handle a drop onto hard surfaces, OWC drives are your best choice. It's tough to pick a winner here because there are many solid options, but OWC's Elektron drive narrowly beat others in benchmark tests. I also like that you can swap out the drive inside the aluminum casing (it's easy to unscrew), which means two years from now, you can pick up a faster bare SSD and drop it in the hardy Elektron enclosure.

If you want a larger drive, both physically and in terms of storage capacity, OWC’s Envoy Pro FX ($256 for 1 TB) is a great choice as well. It’s even faster and comes in sizes up to 4 TB, though the latter will set you back $480. The 2-TB model is plenty for most, though still pricey. It’s IP67-rated and reasonably drop-proof. (Take all claims of “military standard” with a grain of salt—no companies are doing independent tests , which is not to pick on OWC, as every “rugged” drive maker claims things like this.) What impressed me the most about this drive, though, is its incredibly cool operating temperature even under a heavy load (like editing 4K video footage straight from the drive).

• Sabrent Rocket Nano 1-TB SSD for $120 : I really like this one. It's smaller and slightly faster than the OWC, but it has two drawbacks. The first is that it can get hot. If you're trying to work with it in your lap, it can be downright uncomfortable. The other issue is that sometimes it's slow to be recognized by my PC. I could find no pattern to this; sometimes it appeared right away, and other times it took a couple of minutes. If those things don't bother you, this drive is tiny, cheaper, and includes a padded rubber case.

The go-anywhere drives above are a solid solution for people who need to make backups in the field, like photographers and videographers. But if you want an extra level of comfort, this padded drive from LaCie has long been a favorite of travelers. LaCie makes both an SSD version and a traditional spinning drive version. If speed isn't an issue, as with making nightly backups, then the cheaper spinning drive makes more sense. If you're backing up in the middle of a photo shoot or similar situation where it needs to happen fast, the SSD version is what you want.

• Samsung T7 Shield 2-TB SSD for $170 : It isn't as padded as LaCie's rugged drives, but it's cheaper and delivers nearly the same speed. It has an IP65 rating , which means it's fine in the rain and protected from dust and sand. The T7 line is notable for its built-in security features like hardware-based encryption, but unlike the Touch model , the Shield does not have a fingerprint reader. Still, if you don't need the full padded protection of the LaCie and want to save a little money, the T7 Shield is a good option.

Take this category with a grain of salt. Most of the drives here will work just fine for gaming (just stick with the fastest you can afford). That said, Western Digital's new P40 does have some cool RGB lights on the bottom if that's your jam. In my testing, that didn't seem to impact power consumption.

As for speed, my tests were inconsistent. This drive is capable of speeds that handily beat both the Envoy Pro and Samsung T7, but at other times seemed to bog down (at least in benchmarks). In real-world use, the bottleneck I consistently hit was some lag in transferring huge amounts of data. That might be a deal-breaker for some, but for the price, it remains a solid choice.

If you want to put a bigger SSD in your laptop, all you need is a bare drive, which is generally cheaper than the drives with enclosures listed above. The first thing to figure out is which drive your PC uses. Consult your manufacturer's documentation to find out. In my experience, the most common form factor is M.2 2280, which is the long, thin drive in the image above. More compact laptops may use the similar, but shorter, M.2 2242 design. Again, check your PC to confirm the drive it needs before you buy. There are a ton of these on the market and I haven't had time to test many yet, but so far, out of the half dozen I have tried, Western Digital's WD Black series has stood out for speed, and it doesn't run very hot.

The SN 770 M.2 2280 achieved speeds of 5,100 MB per second in my testing, which is blazing fast. If you're doing a lot of drive-intensive tasks, like editing video or gaming, this drive is well worth the money. The largest version you can get is 2 TB, but the price is reasonable considering the speed increase. I've been using it as my main drive for several months and found it fast enough for everything I do, including editing 5.2K video footage and compiling software. My favorite part? It generates very little heat. My older Dell XPS 13 used to get too hot to use without something between it and my lap. Now it doesn't get hot until I start trying to export video, but quickly cools off as soon as it's done.

• Western Digital SN850X 2-TB SSD for $85 : This drive is so screaming fast I had to run my tests twice because I didn't believe the first result. Western Digital claims up to 7,300 MB per second read speeds, and in benchmark tests, this drive's results came close. To take full advantage of the speed here, you'll need a system that supports the PCIe 4.0 SSD standard, but this is a great drive if you want to upgrade a gaming system, whether it's a desktop PC or your PlayStation.

I tested these drives by first running them through a suite of benchmarking tools. On Windows, I use CrystalDiskMark to measure both sequential read/write speeds and random read/write speeds. On macOS, I do the same with the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, and on Linux, I use KDiskMark (and I usually reformat the disk from exFAT to ext4). I run tests six times and then take the average. In addition to benchmarks, I have two folders for testing real-world speeds. I transfer a 25-gigabyte folder of MP3 files, and then a folder with three files that together are 25 gigabytes in size.

Once I've run the tests, I use the drive in day-to-day tasks—editing files directly off it (booting from it in the case of bare drives), making nightly backups, tossing it in my camera bag, and so on. All these data points, along with price, form factor, portability, and other functionality (does it offer encryption, etc.), go into informing the decisions about which disk is best.

Picking the right hard drive comes down to balancing three things: speed , size , and price . If you're making nightly backups, then speed probably doesn't matter. Go for the cheapest drive you can find—up to a point. Drives don't last forever, but some last longer than others. I suggest sticking with known brands with a good reputation, like Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, and the others featured here. This is based partly on experience and partly on the drive failure data that Backblaze has been publishing for years now . Backblaze goes through massive amounts of hard drives backing up customers' data, and its report is worth reading. The takeaway is simple: Stick with names you know.

This is difficult to answer, as it depends on too many factors. But if you go by Backblaze's stats report for 2023 , the best drive makes are Toshiba, Seagate, Western Digital, and Hitachi (HGST in Backblaze's charts). The current best-performing drives appear to be Seagate's 6- and 8-TB SSDs. With that in mind, if I were building a network-attached storage (NAS) system, the Seagate Exos 8 TB HDD is what I would use. After that though, failures—especially among SSDs—appear pretty random.

It depends on what you're doing. If you need fast data transfer speeds, then you want a solid-state drive (SSD). If you have massive amounts of data to store or back up, then a spinning drive (hybrid hard drive, or HDD) is the cheaper option. If you're a videographer, you need both—open your wallet wide. In general, SSDs are the way to go when you can afford it.

If speed trumps price, then you want to look at the solid-state drives we've listed here. SSDs don't just have a speed advantage. They also lack moving parts, which means they'll withstand the bumps and falls of life in a bag on the road better than spinning drives. The disadvantage is that they can wear out faster. Every write operation to an SSD—that is, when you save something to it—slightly degrades the individual NAND cells that make up the drive, which wears it out somewhat faster than a spinning drive. Just how much faster depends on how you use it. That said, I have several SSDs that are more than five years old, and I've used them for daily backups throughout that time. None of them have had any problems.

Do you need an SSD over a spinning drive? The answer is almost always yes—if you can afford it. But they're especially useful for any drive you're working with regularly: your main boot drive, an external drive you use to edit documents from, and for backups, if you need them to happen fast.

The one caveat is that if your Mac or PC doesn't support the same USB standard as the external SSD you're considering, then you might be wasting your money. A drive claiming USB 3.0 speeds in the neighborhood of 2000 MB/s will do you no good if all your laptop has is USB 2.0 ports. Be sure to check the specs for your laptop and don't waste your money paying for transfer speeds you'll never see.

The answer depends on whether we’re talking about macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, or whatever Apple operating system you might be using now or in the future . Unfortunately, there is no one solution for everything. We suggest using one (or two) of the storage devices here and some kind of cloud storage backup as well. That way, even if your drives fail, your data is still backed up in the cloud. See our complete guide to backing up your digital life for our top-pick backup solutions for every platform.

You Might Also Like …

In your inbox: Will Knight's Fast Forward explores advances in AI

Welcome to the hellhole of programmatic advertising

How many EV charging stations does the US need to replace gas stations?

A nonprofit tried to fix tech culture —but lost control of its own

It's always sunny: Here are the best sunglasses for every adventure

David Nield

Brenda Stolyar

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED COUPONS

Save $7 To $23 On Turbo Tax Online

H&R Block Promo Code: Save Up To 20% On 2024 Tax Software

Enjoy $15 Off Your Orders With Instacart Coupon When You Spend $50

50% Off Your First Order Of $15+ With Code

Finish Line Coupon $15 Off $150 On Sneakers And More

Groupon Coupon: Extra 15% Off Any Size Order

Filed under:

• Best of the Year

The 50 best video games of 2023

2023’s best games embraced chaos, creativity, and a willingness to be weird

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: The 50 best video games of 2023

For the first year in recent memory, scale did not necessitate tradition, and scope did not preclude getting weird. In 2023, nothing was sacred in video games, and so they felt more vibrant than ever.

Sure, some of the more “focused” games threw us for a pleasant loop: Dredge begins as a lonely fishing sim before transforming into something otherworldly, and Humanity morphed from a pensive art project into an all-out war. Dave the Diver , similarly, is not so much about being a diver as it is about running a sushi restaurant, or hunting for alien artifacts, or conversing with said aliens, or — you get the point. Whether you booted up your Steam Deck for a cross-country flight or hid your Switch off screen during that boring Zoom meeting, the game you returned to was rarely the one you left behind.

This amorphousness (I’m begging our copy editor to let this one slide, because what other “word” could adequately summarize the video games of 2023?) wasn’t consigned to the newcomers, though. Larian Studios, fresh off two years of early-access development and riding the reputation it had garnered from Divinity: Original Sin 2 , saw fit to release a role-playing game in which you can kill off nearly every main character the moment you meet them. Remedy Entertainment — let’s be honest, this group has always been strange — made a sequel that’s equal parts horrifying, hilarious, fun, and fabulous. And Nintendo? Well, Nintendo had another banner year. That’s no surprise. The real surprise? It finally let go, and let players toy with the digital molecules of its most revered series. More on this below.

As the year comes to a close, it’s intoxicating to see developers of all sizes, in every genre, with every tier of budget, mining the depths of interactive design, branching this way and that as they follow their respective veins of gold. They’re nowhere near the bottom of that particular expanse, of course — and that’s a heartening thought. —Mike Mahardy

How the Polygon top 50 list works

Over the past few weeks, the Polygon staff voted, championed, debated, and ultimately threw up its hands and marveled at the list of mammoths, curiosities, puzzle boxes, and black holes that is our top 50 games of 2023. Any video games that were released in 2023, received substantial updates in 2023, or achieved renewed cultural relevance in 2023 were eligible for this list. Last year, the cutoff for consideration was Nov. 30. (You’ll notice a certain Firaxis Games joint fairly high up our list.) This year, the cutoff was the same. Should we be thoroughly enamored with Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader or Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora , we’ll make sure they’re considered for next year’s top 50.

50. Mr. Sun’s Hatbox

Developer: Kenny Sun

Where to play: Nintendo Switch and Windows PC

Mr. Sun’s Hatbox is about a hat delivery person (or maybe it’s just a blob with legs?) that takes their job way too seriously. At the beginning of the game, a customer’s package gets stolen and whisked away to a nearby towering castle. Despite the client’s apathy toward a single missing hat, the delivery company, named Amazin, proceeds to set up an entire subterranean paramilitary operation beneath the poor customer’s home.

As its premise suggests, this pixelated 2D roguelite leans into the absurd. Part Metal Gear Solid 5 , part Spelunky , you undertake missions where you blast away enemies and kidnap them for your own operation, all while slapstick action unfolds. While on a mission, anything from a desk lamp to daggers is fair game for a weapon. In between fights, you expand your base, where you manage a staff of brainwashed blob-people. It’s fast, frenetic fun, and especially enjoyable to share with friends in co-op. —Ana Diaz

49. Lies of P

Developer: Neowiz Games

Where to play: Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X

Yes, Lies of P is a Dark Souls mixed with Pinocchio, and that’s a questionable elevator pitch from the outset.

In the years leading up to Lies of P , “Pinocchiosouls” was more of a running joke than anything — this profane idea that you can take any world and slap some Dark Souls into it to get people mildly interested. But once you’re in the game, eliminating bosses left and right with your sweet parry moves, you’ll quickly find yourself entirely unbothered by how strange Lies of P initially seemed. And you’ll start telling your partner things like “I have to go back to Geppetto to upgrade my puppet body” like it’s a perfectly normal task to assign yourself on a Tuesday afternoon.

It’s very rare for a Soulslike to ever feel like anything more than a knockoff — even when they’re decent fun, like The Surge . But the best compliment I can give Lies of P is that it feels like the genuine article, a FromSoftware game developed in an alternate dimension and somehow released in this one by mistake. But it wasn’t a mistake or luck that made Lies of P , and it wasn’t FromSoftware, either; it was a talented group of developers at Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio that took a tired genre, paired it with a bizarre IP, and knocked it out of the park. —Ryan Gilliam

Developer: Awaceb

Where to play: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC

Tchia is an open-world adventure game set in a fictional version of island nation New Caledonia — inspired by Awaceb’s co-founder’s childhood in the country.

Everything is filtered through the titular main character Tchia’s eyes, eyes with a special power that allows her to transform into any animals or objects in her environment. Birds, dolphins, a camera, or rocks… It’s all an option for Tchia.

The game, while clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , ends up standing on its own because of the innovative shapeshifting mechanics. Tchia isn’t as technically polished as a Nintendo title with hundreds of developers; Awaceb has a team of roughly a dozen. Still, it’s hard to innovate in such a ubiquitous genre, yet Awaceb has managed to do just that with Tchia , making it one of the best games so far this year. —Nicole Carpenter

47. Blasphemous 2

Developer: The Game Kitchen

Where to play: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X

Long gone are the days when the Metroidvania genre languished untouched for years on end. But despite an influx of entries in recent years, few have exhibited as much mastery as Blasphemous 2 . Building off of the strong roots of the first game, Blasphemous 2 continues to use Spanish Catholicism as a narrative and aesthetic touchpoint, telling a twisted religious tale that’s about as far from proselytizing as you can get.

After the success of the first game, the developers have focused on refining the combat, adding multiple weapons and bizarre, hidden customization options that allow you to take command of how your character rips this world to shreds. The last time I played a 2D Metroidvania with this much polish and charm, it was Hollow Knight . Blasphemous 2 might not reach those same heights, but it comes damn close. —Russ Frushtick

46. Party Animals

Developer: Recreate Games

Where to play: Windows PC and Xbox Series X

I do not know how Recreate Games managed to render some of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen. I also do not know how Recreate made me completely OK with picking up these cute animals and flinging them into black holes, poison clouds, or freezing tundras. The second the match starts in Party Animals , all those cute fluffy corgis, rabbits, kitties, and ducks become my enemies. I will beat them with a bat until they can’t wake up anymore, and I won’t think twice about it. Party Animals may have made me a monster? I don’t know.

The Gang Beasts -esque wiggly physics mixed with the cute characters makes for a perfect party game of fluffy fighting. — Julia Lee

45. The Talos Principle 2

Developer: Croteam

Where to play: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X

Like its predecessor, The Talos Principle 2 tackles grand science fiction ideas, particularly about what it means to be human — a theme thoroughly explored in this installment of the series set in a post-human society of AI-powered robots that are carrying on human culture and civilization. Also like its predecessor, The Talos Principle 2 is replete with philosophical commentary and references to famous artists and thinkers. My favorite is a riff on Werner Herzog’s famous quote about birds: “The enormity of their flat brain. The enormity of their stupidity is just overwhelming.”

But if you’re like me, you’re playing the game because you’re an absolute freak for light refraction, gravity, and geospatial puzzles. There are so many puzzles in this game — there’s even a puzzle metagame, spread across the game’s gorgeous map — and they’re each excellent, teaching you new concepts before refracting them and forcing you to think differently. —Nicole Clark

44. Fading Afternoon

Developer: yeo

Where to play: Windows PC

Video games demand an account for your time. Some video games track the minutes and hours you’ve spent on screen. Others impose strict limits on how long you play, or how much you can do. But all video games constantly ask: How will you spend your time? Seiji Maruyama doesn’t know how much time he has left. Fresh out of prison, he’s not a young man anymore, but he doesn’t want the streets to know. So he returns to his life as a yakuza heavy, hoping to make his mark again.

Fading Afternoon ends when Seiji’s time runs out. Based on the choices you make, the consequences of which are initially obfuscated, this could be five minutes after the game begins, or it could be five hours. He has a bad cough and a pack of cigarettes, each a metaphor for the ticking clock inside of him. You could go to work, brawling on the streets. Or you can simply pass the time: Listen to a jazz band. Play video poker. Buy a home. Fall in love. You have the time, until you don’t. —Joshua Rivera

43. Suika Game

Developer: Aladdin X

Where to play: Nintendo Switch

I thank VTubers every day for many things, but I will kiss the feet of the anime avatars that introduced me to Suika Game . The engrossing 2048 -meets- Tetris -with-physics fruit drop game has become my go-to whenever I need to kill some time. Note that I am talking about the official Nintendo Switch version, not all of the horrific ad-plagued knockoffs that have flooded the App Store.

The thing that makes Suika so special, in addition to its cutesy gameplay, is its quality as a social game. The same way we sit around and talk about our NYT Connections , we sit around and talk about our fruitless (ha) attempts at getting double watermelons or breaking the 3,000 point threshold. It’s also a great game to watch: Nothing is funnier than seeing somebody’s Suika run go downhill in 30 seconds flat. (There’s a reason why the game has taken the streaming world by storm.) — JL

42. League of Legends Season 13

Developer: Riot Games

Where to play: Mac and Windows PC

League of Legends ’ 13th season is one of the game’s most balanced yet. Almost every champion has felt viable throughout the year — no small feat for a game with over 140 playable characters — and it’s led to great fun and variety on the solo queue ladder and in professional play, where an exciting Worlds just wrapped up.

But there’s another reason League had an outstanding 2023: Arena, a new game mode introduced during the game’s summer event . Arena is a 2v2v2v2 battle mode with fast-paced chaos, using League ’s roster of champions in a more approachable and containable setting (and with less rage-inducing teammates). The mode was removed after the conclusion of the summer event, but is reportedly returning soon. It can’t possibly come soon enough; I know how I’ll be spending a good chunk of my winter. —Pete Volk

41. Goodbye Volcano High

Developer: KO_OP

Goodbye Volcano High is a visual novel with rhythm game elements, and it takes place at the precipice of the end of the world. It’s centered on a group of teenage dinosaurs entering their senior year of high school, a perfect balance between high school dramatics and the grim future of Earth, as a meteor rockets toward the planet. Though the rhythm game elements can feel a bit finicky — and don’t seem to matter much, in terms of progressing the game — Goodbye Volcano High ’s music only adds to the dimensional, raw experience created by worker-owned studio KO_OP.

It’s rare to find a game that takes the teenage experience seriously, but Goodbye Volcano High does just that. It’s a time in your life where you feel so, so much. You can see that earnestness in the teenage experience where everything is a big, huge issue — sometimes to the point of cringe — tied up in that big, global issue of the meteor that’s looking to destroy everything. —N. Carpenter

40. World of Warcraft Classic

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Something very, very interesting started to happen in the retro version of WoW this year. While Blizzard has been content to march one half of the game’s community forward through its history of expansions, it’s started to come up with creative ways to keep the other half — the half that wants to stay in the game as it was at launch — engaged.

The first of these was Hardcore, a brilliant permadeath mode that instantly made this aging game both more dangerous and more social, resurrecting the spirit of its 2004 servers. The second, just launched, is the wild Season of Discovery , which remixes and restructures the original WoW experience — interpolating staggered level caps, shuffling class roles — in ways that might just change MMO design forever. WoW Classic is quietly, and paradoxically, where Blizzard is doing its most forward-thinking work right now. —Oli Welsh

39. Fire Emblem Engage

Developer: Intelligent Systems

Fire Emblem Engage was designed for a very specific kind of sicko: one not particularly interested in the origin stories of a horde of teenagers, or the politics of a bourgeoise academy, or what kind of tea a teacher prefers, but instead one obsessed with the endless minutiae of combat stats, weapon loadouts, and team composition. I know this because I am one such sicko.

If you’ve read any of my reviews or essays on Polygon , then you know I prefer strategy games that can get out of their own way. More precisely, I love when strategy developers can put their pens down, throw their hands up, and admit that the stories unfolding in the player’s head will almost always be more powerful than anything they could write. Fire Emblem Engage is one of the foremost proponents of this idea. It hurls an excess of characters, weapons, battle scenarios, and stat-boosting abilities at you, leaving the door open for you to observe character interactions on the battlefield and create the resulting fanfiction in your head. Its actual script is a quagmire of nonsensical JRPG tropes, and each cutscene is more skippable than the next. But if you’re looking for an excellent turn-based tactics game that gets out of the player’s way, you can do a whole lot worse than Fire Emblem Engage . —M. Mahardy

38. Pizza Tower

Developer: Tour De Pizza

Pizza Tower is a perfect object, and fully committed to its vision. You play as Peppino Spaghetti, a chef who must race up the pizza tower in order to defeat the existential threat posed by Pizzaface, an enormous floating pizza that also happens to be sentient. Super normal stuff. To get there, you platform through a series of levels, picking up speed as you zoom through enemies and obstacles. It’s easy to get into a flow state.

Pizza Tower also beautifully captures the essence of the Wario Land series. The game is delightful to look at, with an irreverent art style that’s referential to late-’90s and early-2000s cartoons, and absurd enemies and animations. Levels are also chock-full of secret rooms, passageways, and treasures, making it hard to put down and fun to replay. —N. Clark

37. Subpar Pool

Developer: grapefrukt games

Where to play: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC

You can play this delightful physics puzzler — best described as dynamic minigolf on a pool table — on Switch or Steam if you want, but it’s most at home on your phone. It’s an absolutely ideal mobile game: a reasonably priced paid app with no ads, in-app purchases, or subscription, playable in a spare three minutes. Pocket adorable, smiling pool balls on tables adorned with conveyor belts, portals, and moving pockets, while challenging yourself with a host of mix-and-match rulesets (balls that crack, split, or home in on you, a locked starting position, more balls, no guideline for bounces, etc.). Mobile gamers of taste will recognize the work of grapefrukt, aka Martin Jonasson, Swedish developer of such elegant classics as Holedown , Twofold Inc. , and Rymdkapsel . —OW

36. Amnesia: The Bunker

Where to play: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X

If only one developer could be said to have a master’s grasp on interactive horror, I’d have to tip my hat to Frictional Games. The Amnesia series has always been a thrill ride of terrifying chases and the quiet, a little too quiet, moments that build up tension between. Amnesia: The Bunker is no different. In fact, it’s one of Frictional’s best.

Set in a seemingly abandoned bunker that’s been sealed by explosions during World War I, your simple yet difficult task is to find an exit. This being a horror game, though, you also have to collect fuel for the bunker’s generator — a veritable beating heart — and scrutinize maps on safe room walls, before venturing into the titular structure’s labyrinthine bowels. Oh, also! There’s a monster hunting you. And it can ambush you from wall vents. And it’s attracted to even the slightest bit of sound. And whether you’re juicing your hand-cranked flashlight, triggering long-forgotten tripwires, or just opening a heavy door into yet another concrete-encased corridor, you’re going to have to make noise at some point. The Bunker is as potent in its terror as any horror video game out there. —M. Mahardy

35. Lil Gator Game

Developer: MegaWobble

In an unprecedented year for game releases, I understand why you’re surprised to see Lil Gator Game this high up on our list. But imagine how surprised I was to find myself, in a moment of introspection, realizing that it was one of my own favorite games in 2023. At the risk of diminishing its accomplishments, I’m going to make a comparison that should cut to the quick for interested parties: This is the most A Short Hike -alike that I’ve discovered yet, and I’ve been chasing that singular high for years. So if you have a lazy weekend afternoon and want to spend it playing — not gaming, but playing, in the joyous, unstructured sense of a day in the park — I can’t recommend this li’l game enough. —Chris Grant

34. Starfield

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Starfield had so much to prove, it’s easy to lose sight of what it accomplished: top-tier world-building, a fantastically customizable ship builder, and Bethesda’s most engaging combat to date. Galaxy-spanning faction quests give you plenty to do, but it’s the side quests that really make you feel like the captain in something Star Trek adjacent: generation ships and superhero hideouts and colonies of clones. There’s good sci-fi here for those willing to make the journey.

It’s true that the game oversold the idea of a galaxy with over 1,000 planets , a number that pales in comparison to the game’s most obvious competitor, No Man’s Sky . It’s a shame this became so much of the focus thanks to Bethesda’s marketing, because that same focus obscured the absolutely fascinating new game plus mode at the game’s heart. Consider this: No Man’s Sky is the game that realizes the universe’s infinite number of planets, while Starfield realizes the universe’s infinite number of possibilities. —Clayton Ashley

33. System Shock

Developer: Nightdive Studios

In a year of several stellar remakes and immersive sims, it wouldn’t have been surprising if System Shock showed its age of nearly 30 years. At least, it would have been understandable if the changes needed to update the game would leave it nigh unrecognizable. That’s why Nightdive Studios’ accomplish is so impressive: It updated the 1994 classic with a slick coat of modern paint while also preserving what made the game so thrilling in the first place.

The element where that’s most evident is in the game’s look, which captures all of the original System Shock ’s garish cyberpunk neons and frightening enemies in a style that appears like a modern high-fidelity game at a distance, but subtly transforms into retro pixel bitmaps on closer inspection. In much the same way, the gameplay feels surprisingly modern at a distance, but on closer inspection, you start to see how this proto-immersive sim is actually what inspired so much modern game design. You have to rely on your own curiosity, caution, and cunning to navigate the halls of Citadel Station and upgrade your hacker into a cybernetic death machine. It’s a game that expects a lot from the player (and a little save scumming), but the experience is just as rewarding as it was in 1994. —CA

32. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Developer: Respawn Entertainment

Is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor an Empire Strikes Back level of sequel? Well, no , but it manages to get extraordinarily close to being one of the best follow-ups in the entire Star Wars franchise.

The game improves upon Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in every conceivable way, with a more entertaining, action-oriented start and a ton of aerial movements and lightsaber stances that make you feel even more like a seasoned Jedi Knight. Quality-of-life improvements like fast travel make the game less frustrating to play, while the new locales packed with hidden collectibles and upgrades make exploration more rewarding.

But what makes Jedi: Survivor truly special isn’t this crude matter, but its luminous heart. You feel it in the memorable characters you meet on your galactic journey, be it the people you help or the friendships you forge and reconcile with. It’s in the classic, crowded cantina where you actually want to go check in with the barkeep. It’s in the tactile, reverent way you craft your lightsaber. And it’s in the kinetic set-pieces that remind you of the serials Star Wars was originally inspired by . At its best, you really can feel the Force around you. —CA

31. Connections

Developer: The New York Times

Where to play: Android, browser, and iOS

After the acquisition of viral hit Wordle , The New York Times’ Crossword ecosystem leveled up to full-fledged attention competitor — NYT is a media company with a gaming platform. And its staff of puzzle writers and editors are not stooping to mind-numbing mobile content to keep the expansion going. Connections , its latest title to pair well with morning coffee, is one of the year’s best games.

Connections offers you a grid of 16 words and a mission: Detect the common threads between four different sets of words without embarrassing yourself. The grouping logic ranges from simple (“animals”) to silly (“synonyms for farting”) to sneaky (“countries when the letter ‘A’ is added”). Gruff game show watchers who claim the puzzle is just a clone of BBC’s long-running Only Connect miss the personality within; Connections writer Wyna Liu brings a tremendous wit to each day’s puzzle, constructing thematic grids and throwing synonym curveballs. And like with Wordle , there’s a sense of accomplishment when you land all four sets — there’s no better start to a day than gloating to friends and family about how you completely nailed Connections . —Matt Patches

30. Hi-Fi Rush

Developer: Tango Gameworks

In Hi-Fi Rush , you play as Chai, a guy who must escape the factory of a villainous corporation. In a workplace accident, Chai’s iPod gets punched into his chest, making him sensitive to sound and staying on beat. What follows is a joyful action-rhythm game where you explore, climb, and fight to the beat of the music.

The game is a remarkably inviting take on a genre not exactly known for being accessible. But Hi-Fi Rush does away with hardcore precision in exchange for gameplay that always subtly nudges you back toward keeping in time. Failing to attack on a drum stroke doesn’t mean failing a fight; you just don’t get a combo multiplier. And the musical score never gets jarring as a punishment; punchy notes always play in time with the rhythm, even if you hit a button at the wrong time. The result is a game that evokes the thrill of feeling like you’re acing it and getting into a flow, no matter your skill level. —N. Clark

29. Monster Hunter Now

Developer: Niantic

Where to play: Android and iOS

While Niantic’s post- Pokémon Go track record hasn’t been the most consistent, Monster Hunter Now shows the company at its best, with a refined combat system, simple matchmaking, great monster variety, and extensive character upgrades. Granted, those upgrades are part of a monetization setup that gets a little heavy-handed, but if you’re patient, there’s plenty of game here for free. And unlike in some of Niantic’s other games, the real-world elements don’t feel tacked on, with a design that blends almost perfectly with the company’s map tech, allowing you to feel like you’re tracking monsters as you get outside and walk around. It all makes for a big step forward in fusing Niantic’s real-world tech approach with combat and exploration mechanics that can stand up on their own. —Matt Leone

28. Diablo 4

With Diablo 4 , Blizzard Entertainment set out to marry the frenetic action of Diablo 3, the deep RPG systems of Diablo 2, and the dark tone of the original game. It was an ambitious promise, to be sure, but four years and a whole pandemic after the studio announced the long-awaited sequel at BlizzCon 2019, it’s here, and it’s fantastic.

But Diablo 4 ’s marriage of tone, action, and role-playing isn’t what makes it so good. In addition to all of those other things, Diablo 4 is the best launch we’ve seen for a new “living game” in recent memory.

With the likes of Destiny , Anthem , and even Diablo 3 , it was clear from the start that there were some nuggets of potential. But being a fan meant slogging through mountains of frustration just to taste a morsel of what you’d hope those games would become. Playing these games early on was a kind of gamble.

Diablo 4 , however, is unlike any of those projects, because its systems were deep and nuanced from the start, enough to spend hundreds of hours growing your character. And there is already loads of content to support that kind of time investment. —RG

27. Hitman World of Assassination: Freelancer mode

Developer: IO Interactive

Hitman World of Assassination ’s Freelancer mode , which debuted in January and puts a roguelike twist on Agent 47’s globe-trotting murder-for-hire missions, isn’t for the faint of heart. It demands constant improvisation, to a degree that can challenge even veteran Hitman players. Repeated failures can make it feel more frustrating than fun.

But as every fan of roguelikes knows, these high-stakes experiences have the capacity to deliver a sense of exhilaration like nothing else. Pulling off multiple daring kills, hiding the evidence (or going out with a bang), and trying to make it out alive with all the gear you brought into the mission — it’s tense and thrilling, every time.

Every move you make could be your last one; all it takes to ruin a flawless run is a single ill-considered plan, just one seemingly minor slip-up. With the abyss of failure forever yawning beneath 47, playing Hitman Freelancer can feel like tiptoeing along the top of a barbed-wire fence. The exultation of safely making it to the final exfiltration point, having defeated a crime syndicate after completing a lengthy series of dangerous missions, is a high I’ll keep chasing again and again. —Samit Sarkar

Developer: Visai Games

I don’t love to cook. For me, it’s more a necessity than anything else. So it’s not often that a piece of media — or anything, really — leaves me with the feeling that I need to make something, to spend time in the kitchen reveling in the tedium of chopping and the sizzle of onions frying.

Venba elicited that urge, reminding me that food is not just something to keep me alive, but something to be cherished. Venba is a cooking game that focuses on an immigrant family that’s moved from India to Canada. Food transcends the story by way of simple cooking minigames as I move through the chapters of main character Venba’s life — moments that switch between painful and heartwarming. Venba packs as much heart in its one-hour playtime as games 30 times its size. —N. Carpenter

25. Viewfinder

Developer: Sad Owl Studios

Where to play: PlayStation 5 and Windows PC

At the heart of Viewfinder is a magic trick that never gets old: You take a photo of the environment and paste that perspective into the game world to create a bridge or reveal a needed trinket. The experience of seeing reality distorted by your hands so easily is nearly on the level of thinking with Portals for the first time. You’ll ponder a solution for minutes, sure it’s impossible and that the developers must have made a mistake, before you’re struck by a eureka moment like a lightning bolt.

The game’s lesson on perspective extends to its narrative, which, much like the photos you use to manipulate the world, contains multitudes. Though it’s told in fairly typical video game-y audio monologues that you uncover from the game’s trippy environments, the journey is powerful and topical. Just as differing perspectives can allow for unique solutions, they can also obscure truths that lead us to deny the reality that’s right in front of us. —CA

24. Humanity

Developer: tha

Humanity looks like a modern art project, recalls memories of early PlayStation oddity, and comes (in part) from the team behind game of the future Rez Infinite . But its most impressive feat is the way it gradually shifts genres, starting as a classic puzzle game, then taking on tower defense and shoot-’em-up traits as it evolves into an all-out war. Think Braveheart , with a shiba inu general leading a troop of faceless, brainless low-polygon figures against a group of angry, lightsaber-wielding, even lower-polygon foes. It’s the kind of design subtlety that stays in its lane yet builds on you, and before you realize it, ends very differently than it began. Much like humanity itself? — ML

23. Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Developer: Square Enix

Square Enix has plenty of mega-franchises to fill its time (and its coffers). This year, we have new entries for Octopath Traveler and Final Fantasy, along with new Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts games in the not-so-distant future. Dayenu !

And yet, the publisher can’t help itself from bombarding us with surprising, interesting, sometimes great, often good-enough experiments. In 2022, we got an English-language remake of lost gem Live A Live , the surprisingly enjoyable tactical RPG DioField Chronicle , a bonkers Final Fantasy spinoff featuring the musical stylings of Limp Bizkit, and a pair of oddball card games lathered in lore from gaming’s best weirdo. This year, we have the Avengers of rhythm games, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line , and Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo , an excellent riff on the visual novel penned by a beloved storyteller — whose best series has never appeared in the U.S.

What should you know about Paranormasight before you play? Well, ideally nothing. Why else would I be eating up my word count?

But if you insist: It’s a mystery — and a horror mystery at that. You travel to 1980s Japan, specifically the Tokyo neighborhood of Honjo, located not so far from the modern Tokyo Skytree. It’s hard to imagine that modern landmark ever towering alongside these streets, which are filled with shadows and lethal curses.

If you have even a passing interest in urban legends, spooky folklore, cults, and deadly rituals, or you’ve enjoyed series like Zero Escape and Danganronpa, Paranormasight is an easy recommendation. And if you just enjoy a good yarn and have access to basically any screen and $15, then you’re a perfect mark too. It runs as well on console and PC as it does on iOS and Android, so don’t fret about where you play, just do so and soon! Before Square Enix stops investing in all these oddities. —Chris Plante

22. Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Developer: Firaxis Games

[ Ed. note: Marvel’s Midnight Suns was released in 2022, but it just barely missed the cutoff for our best video games of 2022 list , so it’s eligible for our 2023 awards.]

I know what you’re thinking: Another licensed Marvel game? Come on, right? But hear me out. I played Marvel’s Avengers , too, and this isn’t that. It might seem like it’s going to be at first, because Midnight Suns makes the grave error of introducing Iron Man and Doctor Strange as its tutorial characters, and these two might just be the most irritating characters in the entire video game. (I have beaten the game, so I am allowed to make this call.) You must press on and give Midnight Suns time to win you over. Because it has so, so much more to offer than it may appear in its first few hours.

Picture the romance and humor of Fire Emblem: Three Houses , combined with the high-stakes tactical battles of XCOM 2 — that’s what Midnight Suns becomes in its mid-game and endgame. It’s a card-based strategy game, and each hero has their own customizable deck. I started off favoring Captain Marvel, Magik, and Blade, simply because their moves and hilarious dialogue kept me entertained, but I soon realized that every single character has something exciting or unexpected to bring to the battlefront. Over 100 hours later, I’ve leveled up every single character and played all the main story missions and an unknowable number of optional missions, and I’m still not sick of this combat… or the kooky cast of characters that grows all the time (shoutout to the Deadpool DLC ).

No matter how sick of Marvel you might be, give Midnight Suns the chance to win you over with its clever combat. And once you’ve gotten hooked, you might find yourself sticking around to chuckle at Wolverine attending Blade’s book club (yes, that’s a storyline in this game). It’s worth your time, and you can take that from me, a person who — again — spent over 100 hours on it. —Maddy Myers

21. Honkai: Star Rail

Developer: Hoyoverse

Where to play: Android, iOS, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC

I have been a... pretty die-hard Genshin Impact player since launch. I’ve rolled for every character, grinded out all of said characters, 100%-ed the exploration, completed every quest — did all the stuff that would burn anyone out. Honkai: Star Rail is Hoyoverse’s answer to the Genshin Impact burnout.

The slower-paced turn-based combat, the ability to auto-battle (if your teams are strong enough), and the smaller maps make it the perfect daily game for me to funnel my interest into without feeling exhausted. The characters are fun, flashy, and easy to latch onto. Should I main the sneaky but elegant Kafka, who uses damage-over-time skills to whittle her opponents away? Or should I use the brooding Blade, who unleashes huge attacks at the cost of his HP? Ah, I guess I’ll let my wallet decide — it is a gacha game, after all. — JL

20. Chants of Sennaar

Developer: Rundisc

Where to play: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One

In Chants of Sennaar you climb up a kind of Tower of Babel, and your job is to decipher the distinct language each group of people speaks, eventually aiming to translate fluidly from one language to another. You do so by matching pictographic symbols — the characters for each language — to images of the nouns, actions, and concepts in a large dictionary-style book.

It sounds complicated, but it’s wonderfully fun because the mechanics are so simple. You explore the isometric world — which is rendered in a gorgeous cel-shaded style — witnessing interactions between cultures and attempting to puzzle out the meaning of their written words. The game parcels out words for you to assign meaning to in little packets, to avoid overwhelming you. By the end, you’ll have translated numerous languages, and scaled your way to the top of the tower. Perhaps you’ll even change the tower itself. —N. Clark

19. Metroid Prime Remastered

Developer: Retro Studios

Few games from 2002 hold up as well as Metroid Prime , and the remastered version of the game — which was surprise-dropped during February’s Nintendo Direct — proves that Samus Aran’s first-person adventure is still worth experiencing, whether it’s for the first time or (in my case) the fourth.

Retro Studios’ take on one of sci-fi’s most famous intergalactic bounty hunters controversially took her out of the 2D puzzle-platformer realm that made her famous (although Metroid Fusion also came out in 2002 — a gift for the 2D Metroid purists — which may also be why Fusion joined Nintendo Switch Online’s catalog shortly after Prime Remastered was released). By placing the player inside Samus’ helmet, Metroid Prime recontextualized the bounty hunter’s relationship with the hostile planets around her.

As we donned Samus’ suit and explored strange planets, aggressive alien lifeforms could now get right in our faces, forcing us to dodge, strafe, and roll (in morph ball form, naturally) using all three dimensions. No longer would we sit back and watch as Samus dipped her toe into a pool of lava; in first-person, as molten fire spread over our visor, we’d really feel the pressure to find that Varia Suit upgrade. And perhaps most importantly, from behind Samus’ visor, we gained the ability to scan our enemies and environment, collecting and translating logs from the long-dead Chozo aliens who once inhabited these now-hostile places.

The world of Prime is harsh and unrelenting. (Save points will, at times, be quite far from one another.) But it’s worth buckling down and pushing through the pain points to discover this world’s secrets. —M. Myers

18. Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

Developer: Mimimi Games

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew may very well be the most bittersweet entry on this list. It is, for my money, one of the best games to be released in 2023. It is also the swan song of Mimimi Games, one of the most underappreciated studios making games throughout the last decade. Mimimi announced its planned closure only two weeks after releasing its final game. This makes The Cursed Crew its swan song. It is also the team’s magnum opus.

Set in a tropical world of zombie pirates, religious fanatics, and talking ships, The Cursed Crew sees you traveling freely across an archipelago as you revive your undead crew, deploy them on dioramic worlds constituting some of the finest level design in video games to date, and dispatching enemies with a mixture of tactical stealth and supernatural abilities. Taken at a distance, this mixture is undeniably niche. But seen up close, The Cursed Crew is as potent a creation as we’ve seen since 2016’s Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun or 2020’s Desperados 3 , which respectively established and cemented the studio’s brilliant design chops. I’ll miss Mimimi — but I can’t imagine a better farewell. — M. Mahardy

Developer: Black Salt Games

Dredge is a Lovecraftian horror experience masquerading as a simple fishing game.

The open ocean is filled with terrible creatures that can and will damage or destroy your boat. And each of the major islands you visit comes with its own evil sea beasts that must be dealt with if you want to progress the story or fish peacefully. Dredge ultimately tells a dark parable about loss, and how obsession can own you if you aren’t careful.

But what makes Dread so special — and one of the best games of 2023 — is that under its foreboding story and twisted environments is a fishing game that grows more complex with every outing, centered around an upgrade system that feels amazing to progress through. As the dangers around you grow, so too does your ship’s capabilities. And by adventuring into battles — metaphorical and otherwise — with the seas’ most dastardly critters, you’ll always come out on the other side with some upgrades that allow you to catch even better fish and build an even bigger boat.

By the time you’ve spent 10 or so hours with Dredge , you’ll feel like a commercial fisherman who just happened upon something bigger and more foreboding than they could have imagined — and that, perhaps, you’ve stared deep into some kind of black abyss, only to escape forever changed. —RG

16. Final Fantasy 16

Where to play: PlayStation 5

Final Fantasy 16 kicks ass. The newest mainline entry in the long, winding series takes you on a lavish, unadulterated Game of Thrones -esque adventure. You play as a broody Clive Rosfield, a young man whose life’s work is to protect his little brother, Joshua. The story begins when Clive’s life takes a turn for the worse and he vows to destroy the monster who ruined his and his family’s legacy.

Developed by Creative Business Unit III, Square Enix’s internal team behind the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 , 16 leans into patchwork territories of fantasy genre fare. There is palace intrigue, a whole lot of sex, and endless war between nations. But the developers then sprinkle in Final Fantasy elements like mother crystals, dazzling kaiju fights between summons (known as Eikons in this iteration), and of course, Chocobos.

The quality of the story in this long and linear character-driven RPG waxes and wanes, but the action combat is among the best I’ve ever played. The gameplay grips you from the very beginning as Clive smoothly dashes, parries, and swings his giant sword and varied magic with a dazzling amount of style. The gameplay didn’t just help me stick with the game, but instead allowed my excitement to bubble over every time I took on a new mission. —Ana Diaz

15. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Developer: CD Projekt Red

Like the best DLC, Phantom Liberty does as much to expand on the base game as it does to reframe it. Alongside the sweeping Patch 2.0 , which revamped Cyberpunk 2077 ’s role-playing progression systems , improved its enemy AI, and course-corrected a litany of other details, Phantom Liberty also adds a whole new district to the dystopian world of Night City, complete with its own spy-thriller storyline.

The resulting Cyberpunk 2077 is not an entirely different beast than the one that was released in 2020, but it is a more evolved one. It delivers on the promise of building a hacker-samurai in a neon-infused open world replete with futuristic heists, daunting choices, and striking characters. Phantom Liberty and Patch 2.0 may not completely erase the memory of CD Projekt’s initial botched release , but they come pretty damn close. Three years after we first set foot in V’s shoes, Cyberpunk 2077 has finally justified the hype. —M. Mahardy

14. Dead Space

Developer: Motive Studio

With The Last of Us on HBO and Resident Evil 4 back in the conversation, it’s already a banner year for survival horror. Motive Studio’s Dead Space remake is no exception. Following in the footsteps of Capcom’s aforementioned title, the original Dead Space brought the third-person-action focus of Resident Evil 4 ’s formula to a deteriorating ship in outer space. In the vein of Event Horizon , Sunshine , and Alien , Dead Space was a paragon for sci-fi horror in a confined and claustrophobic setting. Its remake has brought that same vision to gorgeous new life, bringing quality-of-life changes and underappreciated updates (it has made several previously useless weapons into viable tools in protagonist Isaac Clarke’s arsenal), making it hard to imagine ever going back to Visceral Games’ phenomenal original. —M. Mahardy

13. Octopath Traveler 2

Developers: Square Enix, Acquire

Where to play: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC

The first Octopath Traveler was one of those games that was as enjoyable to play as it was painful: enjoyable because so much of it kicked ass, but painful because so much of it dragged the positive aspects down. In other words, it stood on the precipice of excellence, but couldn’t quite cross the line.

Octopath Traveler 2 leaps across that boundary. In place of the original game’s repetitive level design, monotonous narrative structure, and sometimes awkward characterization, the sequel demonstrates an expert ability to challenge your expectations at every turn. Yes, your general goal is still to recruit eight playable characters (hence the name) and follow each of their separate plot threads to their respective conclusions, participating in turn-based battles and side quests along the way. But said plots vary greatly from character to character, and if you so choose, you can see a handful of characters through several major plot points before recruiting the whole gang. Octopath Traveler 2 finely toes the line between that comfort food-esque repetition of the best JRPGs, and the subversive nature of great genre storytelling . —M. Mahardy

12. Dave the Diver

Developer: Mintrocket

You could describe Dave the Diver as a fishing game and a restaurant management simulator, and that’d be correct. But that would also be underselling the game, and understating things quite a lot .

Diving into the mysterious Blue Hole, Dave spends the first two quarters of his day swimming deeper into the colorful abyss, discovering both sea life and a story that’s equally absurd and earnest. When you’re not picking up sea urchins or spearfishing sharks, Dave is assisting the rest of Dave the Diver ’s cast of characters — his sushi business partners, a community of seafolk, an anime-obsessed weapons expert, and a pair of dolphins. At night, Dave slings sushi and pours drinks at the restaurant, frantically running back and forth between clearing dishes, delivering sushi, and refilling the freshly ground wasabi. Between all that, Dave’s harvesting rice and vegetables on a farm, curating a hatchery, racing seahorses with mermaids, and taking down a suspicious group masquerading as environmental activists. Somehow, there’s even a well-done rhythm video game — starring one of those anime idols that the arms dealer loves — that makes perfect sense.

It really shouldn’t work ; I can’t imagine another game where all these disparate ideas coalesce so seamlessly. But Dave the Diver would feel less complete without any one of them. It makes for such a compelling loop, and a consistent advancement of the game’s story, that I kept finding myself in that “one more day” mindset, eager to jump back into the ocean for one more go. —N. Carpenter

11. Resident Evil 4 Remake

Developer: Capcom

Where to play: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X

It turns out, Capcom is good at remaking games.

The original Resident Evil remake all but set the bar for the format in 2002, with sleeker controls, more nuanced graphical details, and whole new areas to explore in the iconic Spencer Mansion. The Resident Evil 2 remake changed the entire perspective of its source material without sacrificing the focus on horror and survival. Resident Evil 3 ’s remake, as forgettable as it was, still brought the design conceits of the original game, warts and all, to a modern audience. And now we have Resident Evil 4 — a nd what a remake it is.

In this reimagined version of the 2005 action-survival-horror game, Capcom has managed to erase many of the blemishes on one of the most beloved games in the series, if not all time. The remake is full of new flourishes and extra details in each of its three sprawling areas, making it less of a remake and more of a dramatic reinterpretation. It has also managed to add even more survival elements to the original’s action-centric combat, without sacrificing the camp and cheese that have made it such an enduring presence throughout the years. A lesser game would have shrunk in the face of such intimidating source material , but the Resident Evil 4 remake achieved the balancing act in spades. —M. Mahardy

10. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

Developer: FromSoftware

Nothing else feels like Armored Core.

The giant robot you pilot heaves with the weight of a six-story building but flies into the sky as nimble as a hummingbird. You can skate along the ground, rocket into the air, and change directions in the blink of an eye. You are agile, resilient, deadly .

With your hands tightly gripping the controller, you can unload four different weapons at once, weapons you’ve picked out of an armory that could rival a small nation. You target, aim, and fire while moving faster than a fighter jet, dodging streams of missiles, arcs of gunfire, bazookas, and flames.

There have been many, many games in the franchise , but none have reached the heights of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. The levels have never had such ruined beauty, the enemies have never been as satisfying to fight, and the characters have never been more endearing. An ingenious new game plus mode packs the game’s story with surprises while you continue to build out your arsenal.

Perhaps the decades-long wait for a new Armored Core game is part of the reason , because the lessons FromSoftware learned creating and popularizing Dark Souls are evident here. Bosses now put you through dastardly skill checks in classic Soulsian fashion . Many of them tower over the landscape, making you, the pilot of a giant robot , feel small. These set-piece fights are some of the most thrilling moments you could play in a game this year. They certainly have some of the most memorable lines .

But Armored Core 6 doesn’t just get badass one-liners stuck in your head; its gameplay lingers, too. When you watch videos of it in motion, it simply makes you want to play it, to feel that movement, that motion, for yourself.

This isn’t just because the series’ energetic action is unique, but because you decide exactly how your robot feels: how quickly its missiles get a lock, how fast its generator recharges, how far you boost when you swing your laser sword. Swapping components around as you scrutinize competing weight and power requirements is an engaging puzzle all its own. You become intimately familiar with a screen-filling spreadsheet of stats because all of those numbers add up to something that feels real. Tactile. Earned .

Because nothing else feels like Armored Core. —CA

Developer: Don’t Nod

Boulderers, or rock climbers who don’t use safety gear but also don’t ascend very high, have a word for the routes they climb: problems. The idea is that, since you’re never that far from flat ground, completing your route is more a game of mind over matter. You don’t “finish” a problem. You “solve” it. Like a puzzle.

When it comes to rock climbing, Jusant just gets it in a way few other games — if any — have.

To be clear, Don’t Nod’s Jusant isn’t technically about bouldering. (A climbing game where you’re never more than 12 feet off the ground would have precisely zero stakes.) But it’s an apt conduit for the spirit of bouldering, in that every route you traverse is a problem to solve. By alternating triggers to dictate which hand goes on which handhold, you navigate these problems. Environmental hazards and a pesky stamina wheel make things progressively trickier. You’re always clear on your heading. (It’s up.) Figuring out how to get there is another matter.

Even in games that prominently feature it, climbing is often functional, at best — whether it’s Link refusing to acknowledge handholds are a thing or Nathan Drake snapping to ledges with a level of magnetism only thought possible at CERN.

Jusant is the first and only game I’ve played that gets it — that sees the inherent grace in the sport and portrays it on the screen, not as a means of getting somewhere, but as the reason to go there in the first place. —Ari Notis

8. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Developer: Insomniac Games

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 builds on the successes of the first game, both narratively and in its immensely satisfying gameplay. The game’s story takes a familiar Spider-Man narrative — that of friends turned foes — and adds new twists, building out compelling villains (and demanding ones ) in the process. The game also sheds its predecessor’s odious Spider-Cop bits in favor of establishing a deeper connection between the Spider-Mans and their city , giving the game room to breathe while further immersing you in its heroes’ worlds and struggles.

And then there’s the gameplay. For my money, there are few experiences more enjoyable in gaming than swinging around New York City with Spider-Man. It was fun in the early 2000s, and it’s still fun now. And with a bigger map to explore (and wings to fly, if you so choose to use them), there’s basically no limit to the fun you can get up to. The deployment of two protagonists is seamless — Peter and Miles play differently, bringing their own stories and desires to the table — and switching between them is effortless. It’s also the rare open-world game that doesn’t feel bloated with missions and side quests, instead leaving you wanting more Spider adventures. — PV

7. Street Fighter 6

After getting knocked down — by a self-inflicted punch, no less — with the feeble Street Fighter 5 , Capcom has hit the gym and returned stronger than before with Street Fighter 6 . We rightfully called its latest Street Fighter the “ultimate fighting game toolbox” in Polygon’s review; from a robust single-player mode to solid online modes to a cast of memorable new and returning World Warriors, Street Fighter 6 is Capcom at its most confident.

For newcomers and the lapsed Street Fighter fan wary of jumping into online play, Capcom delivered World Tour mode, a robust, single-player, RPG-lite beat-’em-up in the vein of Sega’s Yakuza games. In World Tour, players hit the streets of Metro City where, hilariously, everyone in town not only knows how to fight, but relishes impromptu fisticuffs with strangers. It’s a matter of local pride.

The streets of Metro City are part training grounds, part beginning of a silly, epic worldwide adventure where you learn the basics of Street Fighter 6 . Untethered from any serious game narrative canon, Street Fighter 6 lets players of all skill levels and stripes have fun in World Tour mode.

Street Fighter 6 ’s approachability extends to its innovative new control scheme, an addition called Modern Controls. While the six-button layout from the very first Street Fighter is still available, after multiple attempts at giving players a simplified control scheme, Capcom’s finally cracked it. Modern Controls are not only comparatively easy to grasp — they’re pretty viable competitively.

But it’s the finely honed one-on-one fighting mechanics, governed by a streamlined set of meters and flashy new moves, that give Street Fighter 6 its longevity. Thanks to a well-populated social space called the Battle Hub, and a rock-solid online infrastructure, there’s a robust community of other Street Fighter fans to battle against on a daily basis. Add a compelling new roster of characters led by classics like Ryu, Zangief, and Chun-Li, and dazzling newcomers Marisa, Manon, and Kimberly, and it’s clear why Street Fighter 6 is one of the best games of 2023, regardless of genre. —Michael McWhertor

Developer: Geometric Interactive

I think I’m still trying to wrap my head around Cocoon . On the surface, the game appears to have a relatively simple premise: You play as a buglike creature that picks up and places glowing orbs to solve puzzles. However, this is where Cocoon hides its brilliant twist. Each orb functions like a world unto itself, which you can explore, or from which you can extract a new power for your bug. As you collect orbs, you thread together puzzles that will have you weaving in and out of realms in a truly mind-bending experience.

Created by Geometric Interactive, a studio founded by developers who previously worked on Limbo and Inside , Cocoon ’s brain teasers unfold in a dark sci-fi world. The game goes light on a story that combines biological and mechanical philosophies alike. As you make your way through, you’ll hear the hum of engines and the moist squishy sounds of unknown creatures’ moving flesh.

Cocoon has one-off puzzles that are downright brilliant, but what makes it truly great is the sum of its parts. The pacing of each section feeds smoothly from one challenge to the next. Like the best puzzle games, Cocoon presents instances where an earlier brain teaser might serve as an unsaid tutorial that teaches you a step for a later, more complicated puzzle. Cocoon presents challenges, but it’s also just a joy to play. It is one of the most memorable puzzle games I’ve ever played. —AD

5. Pikmin 4

Developers: Nintendo EPD, Eighting

Pikmin 4 is like the perfect amalgamation of Pikmin games. There are fun mini-dungeon caverns, but they’re not filled with terrible bomb traps. There’s new types of Pikmin, but not at the cost of getting rid of the old ones. And there’s a dog now, and he helps corral the Pikmin and make operations run even more efficiently.

The entirety of the game is a whimsical joy to play. Even as I completed every Dandori Challenge (which actually got pretty damn hard!) and collected every item, it never became a drag or a grind. It actually might be impossible to be angry while playing this game. Hearing the little Pikmin hum as they carry a huge peach (that they call a “mock bottom”) across the map is enough to melt anyone’s heart. In fact, I was pretty sad when the game ended. I could command these little guys and my puppy friend to collect things forever.

All told, the game is beautiful, and, thanks to its quasi real-world setting, it makes me see my own world differently — there’s something special to be found everywhere, even in the tiniest corners. Maybe all my little trinkets go missing because a little guy needs it to return home. He can have it.

Even if you’ve never played a Pikmin game before, this game is good , and it’s the perfect place to start. (And then you can play all the rest of them, which have been conveniently ported to the Switch!) — JL

4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Developer: Nintendo EPD

When you activate Super Mario. Bros. Wonder ’s delightful whimsy — via the aptly named Wonder Flower — the game becomes more than a 2D platformer. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a musical, a quiz show, a race, or a hidden object game. Pipes become inchworms, Piranha Plants burst into song, and Yoshi becomes a goddamn dragon. Wonder is the first side-scrolling 2D platformer in the Super Mario Bros. line since New Super Mario Bros. U in 2012, and it’s both a faithful rendition of the classic format and a complete reinvention of the series’ irresistible formula.

Each and every level in Super Mario Bros. Wonder finds some new way to delight and surprise. It’s constantly introducing new ideas, enemies, and wrinkles, only to pull back on them just when it’s on the verge of becoming rote. Like everything else in the Flower Kingdom, a few enemies shift and change in bizarre ways when the Wonder Flower is activated, like Hoppo, the bouncy, round hippo equivalent that grows in size to create chaos in one of Super Mario Bros. Wonder ’s many mesmerizing levels.

All of this weirdness, combined with Nintendo’s platforming expertise, makes Super Mario Bros. Wonder an entrancing romp alone, with friends, or with strangers online. This is the freshest Mario has felt in decades, and it bodes well for the iconic plumber’s 2D future. —N. Carpenter

3. Alan Wake 2

Developer: Remedy Entertainment

There’s a body in the forest with a hole in its chest. The forest, like the body, is also missing its heart, and a woman must find both. In each, there are pages. This is a story, broken into pieces, we learn. One that ended badly before. One that will likely end badly again. Will you still put it together?

Alan Wake 2 is full of words but few are in order. It is set in places of confused geography, full of people who don’t quite belong, in rooms that might be different each time you enter them. Alan Wake 2 is wrong, and you must make it right, if you can.

Remedy Entertainment’s assured masterpiece is less about stories and more about dreams — the way they can slip from frightening to absurd at a moment’s notice, about how we can get lost in them, learning from our experiences or succumbing to insecurities. How video games can mimic their shape, or lack thereof.

It is about repetition, and the way we find meaning in stories and people and places by returning to them over and over, wondering if we changed or they did.

In Alan Wake 2 , everyone’s story is happening at once, branching out in endless directions, and we might not know the genre until it’s too late. It’s a hypertext mystery, an ergodic game that molds itself to an audience raised online, though few computers are in sight. It’s a game for a world suspended in an endless second act — forever wars, live services, franchises, infinite scrolls — endlessly searching for a conclusion. —JR

2. Baldur’s Gate 3

Developer: Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 hit at the perfect moment. Despite the handful of truly great computer role-playing games that have been released since the early 2000s (Larian Studios itself made waves with its Divinity: Original Sin series in 2014 and 2017), the genre has largely remained a modern niche. But times have changed: Dungeons & Dragons has undergone something of a renaissance, thanks to actual-play series like Critical Role and Dimension 20. What’s more, Larian had two years of player feedback with which to build its new masterpiece. That masterpiece launched in August, and it garnered the kind of attention that catapults a game from niche interests to widespread acclaim.

Old CRPG fans finally came home, the Mass Effect generation has discovered a new kind of RPG to sink its teeth into, and D&D fans have found an exceptional digital version of their beloved tabletop game to play alone or with their party in co-op.

Like a good DM, Baldur’s Gate 3 teases out story beats that feel personal to you, cleverly luring you into experiences that seem like they wouldn’t make sense in anyone else’s campaign. Every act delivers quiet, memorable character moments and anxiety-inducing battles. All of these situations feel organic, allowing Baldur’s Gate 3 to replicate, perhaps as closely as a video game can, Dungeons & Dragons’ best feature: the intoxicating sense that anything could happen at any moment.

The best games this year told their stories in interesting ways, be it ignoring your superpowers to bike through your old neighborhood in Queens, a musical number, or fractured memories hidden in a puddle. But Baldur’s Gate 3 takes experimental storytelling to another level. Every choice and every new direction is a simple success, fail, or crit away. One roll of the dice after another can take you all the way from a crashed Nautiloid to the city of Baldur’s Gate itself.

In a year filled with beautiful stories and powerful moments, it’s the spinning whir of Baldur’s Gate 3 ’s d20 that defined video game storytelling in 2023. —RG

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Princess Zelda is missing. Ganondorf has returned, somehow, and he’s really hot. So an age-old hero in a green tunic has to step in. We all know the beats — how could you possibly make that into anything new?

Tears of the Kingdom definitely didn’t seem like it was poised to make that happen: a sequel to one of the most popular Zelda games ever made, originally conceived as DLC, and built on the same map. Yet, it is something else entirely. It’s not just that Breath of the Wild was a rough draft for Tears of the Kingdom — it’s that the entire Zelda series was a collection of stepping stones that led in winding, influential pathways to this wacky, wonderful, and thoroughly new world of Hyrule.

I mean, Ultrahand alone. Just absolutely slathering pieces of wood in what amounts to magical Gorilla Glue and watching in wonder as the game’s physics engine roars to life in response. I went into Tears of the Kingdom thinking I wouldn’t build much — I’d just follow the story and get through it; I left feeling like a genius engineer, building all manner of bizarre contraptions ( but mostly long bridges ) to sail through skies and trundle over mountaintops.

I still catch my breath remembering that first time diving deep into the darkness of the Depths — the amazement I felt upon discovering a whole other world underneath the one I knew, filled with skeleton horses and gloom-splattered Bokoblins.

And I remember when I realized where Princess Zelda really was… and then, many hours later, learning where she really was.

I never wanted to stop playing Tears of the Kingdom . I did stop, eventually — the year of 2023 in video games has spoiled us all with hearty meals and sweet desserts — but I never stopped thinking about it. Every now and then, I picked my Switch back up to seek out another Lightroot, or solve another shrine’s puzzle, until there were none left. And then I’d just wander, collecting ingredients, talking to Great Fairies, imagining the next adventure.

Tears of the Kingdom feels like someone holding my hands very close as they lean in to whisper, with eyes twinkling, “Can I tell you something?” The ride was wild; I laughed, I cried. And I can’t wait for the next time, when it’s completely different. — M. Myers

Polygon’s Best of the Year 2023

• The 50 best movies of 2023
• The 50 best TV shows of 2023
• The best sci-fi and fantasy books of 2023
• The best anime of 2023
• The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
• The best board games we played in 2023
• The best Blu-rays and 4K UHD releases of 2023
• The best new tabletop RPG books of 2023
• The best video game books of 2023
• The best comics of 2023
• What the Polygon staff bought and loved in 2023
• The best documentaries of 2023
• 10 great indie games you might have missed in 2023
• The 10 best action scenes of 2023
• The best TV episodes of 2023
• The 5 best concert movies of 2023
• Best horror movies of 2023, ranked by scariness
• The best video essays of 2023
• The 10 best Netflix originals of 2023

Loading comments...

Protect Your Trip »

13 best carry-on luggage pieces 2024 - we tested them all.

Discover the best carry-on luggage for your unique travel style and needs.

The Best Carry-on Luggage

Rachael Hood | U.S. News

Things aren't always as they seem – especially when it comes to luggage. In our quest to find the best carry-on bags, we discovered that while some suitcases look good, they don't always hold up to the demands of travel. Some designs have attractive features that add bulk but not additional functionality, while others just don't live up to the hype.

To determine the best carry-on luggage, we tested dozens of bags on countless trips to find the ideal bag for every travel need. Read on to find the best option in a variety of categories, tested and reviewed by our team of experts.

Best Overall: Solgaard Carry-On Closet Original – Large

• Jump to features and expert insights ↓
• Overall Runner-up: Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-on Hardside Spinner

Best Hard-sided: Away The Carry-On

Best soft-sided: samsonite solyte dlx carry-on spinner, best lightweight: july carry on light, best for international travel: delsey paris helium aero international carry-on - expandable spinner, best affordable: amazon basics 20-inch hardside spinner.

• Best Expandability: Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry-on Expandable Spinner
• Best Underseater: CALPAK Luka Soft-sided Mini Carry-On Luggage

Best for Business Travel: Amazon Basics Expandable Softside Carry-On Spinner – 20.4 Inch

Best luxury: carl friedrik the carry-on pro.

• Best Carry-on Duffel: The North Face Rolling Thunder–22"

Best Carry-on Backpack: Cotopaxi Allpa 35L

(Note: Prices were accurate at the time this article was published; they may fluctuate due to demand or other factors. Original photos were taken by our editors during luggage testing.)

Price:  $315 or less

Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.6 x 9.6 inches | Weight: 8.1 pounds; 8.85 pounds with closet insert Packing capacity: 4-7 days |  Color options:  Red, purple, navy or 6 others, plus precious metals options Hard- or soft-sided:  Hard-sided   | Warranty: Lifetime

Sturdy and attractive, this suitcase is set apart from the rest by its patented and removable shelving system. This unique design feature makes packing easier, keeps items in place and removes the need for unpacking at your destination. Rather than a zippered clamshell design, the Solgaard Carry-on Closet has two latches that open with just the squeeze of two levers together; it secures with a TSA-approved lock.

The waterproof polycarbonate exterior has an aluminum frame and corner guards so this suitcase can withstand all the rigors of travel. There's also an ergonomic handle and frictionless wheels, which make it easy to maneuver on all types of terrain. What's more, this sustainable suitcase helps to repurpose 6 pounds of plastics that may have ended up in the ocean.

What our editors say:

This carry-on suitcase has it all! From the power bank (sold separately) to the super sturdy and comfortable handle to the removable closet feature – not to mention the attractive yet functional appearance – this suitcase packs a punch. I really like how easy it is to pull on a variety of surfaces, including carpet and brick. – Rachael Hood, Senior Editor

Best Overall Runner-up: Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Hardside Spinner

Leilani Osmundson | U.S. News

Price: $369.99 or less

Dimensions: 23 x 14.5 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 8.1 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 10 days; 45 liters | Color options: White, red, blue, green or gray Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: Limited lifetime

The Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Hardside Spinner is a truly well-rounded carry-on with a plethora of unique features. USB A & C ports on the outside of the bag give easy access to charging. (A power bank is not included, though the bag does have a pocket for one inside the expansion zipper.) Self-aligning magnetic wheels – a reviewer-favorite feature – allow painless travel through the airport as well as on roads, sidewalks, uneven surfaces and more. A built-in TSA zipper lock offers ultimate protection for your possessions.

Even without the features listed above, this Travelpro spinner is, at its core, a high-quality piece. The hard outer shell is ultra-strong and 100% polycarbonate; aluminum corner guards further protect your belongings. The clamshell-style suitcase has two large interior compartments along with three extra pockets, one of which is water-resistant, and the expansion zipper allows for an extra 2 inches of packing room. Plus, this carry-on is made with genuine leather trim, so you can travel in style as well as comfort.

There are some amazing features on this carry-on, but my favorite is the wheels – as someone who typically prefers hands-free travel (primarily backpacks), I found that the way this suitcase easily glides around everywhere absolutely changed my mind about wheeled luggage. Just know that since this is one of the larger bags on this list, I would still check your airline's carry-on size requirements before traveling (though it's been tested for most major domestic airlines, and it fit perfectly on Delta). – Leilani Osmundson, Senior Digital Producer

Amanda Norcross | U.S. News

Price: $275 or less

Dimensions: 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 inches | Weight: 7.5 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 5 days; 39.8 liters | Color options: Black, navy, blue gray or olive, plus 2 glossy options Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: Limited

When it comes to hard-sided carry-on luggage , nothing beats The Carry-On by Away. The bag is lightweight yet indestructible thanks to a 100% polycarbonate exterior. Plus, you can easily wipe away most scratches with a magic eraser.

In late 2023, Away launched a new iteration of The Carry-On that somehow made it even more efficient. The most notable new features are an additional underside grab handle, three extra interior compartments, and an enhanced compression system that upholds the bag's ability to accommodate nearly a week's worth of clothing. The bag's 360-degree wheels are also slimmer than those of its predecessor for improved maneuverability. While Away has long been known for its neutral colored matte options, glossy options of this bag are now available.

The Away Carry-On is my ride or die. I've taken it on so many trips over the past five-plus years and it's still in perfect shape. I know I'll have it with me for many years to come. – Amanda Norcross, Senior Content and SEO Strategist

Catriona Kendall | U.S. News

Price: $199.99 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 7.1 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 32 liters | Color options: Black, gray, green, aqua blue or royal blue Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: 10-year limited

This classic soft-sided option from Samsonite offers everything you need for a smooth trip. There are three spacious pockets and a trolley strap on the outside so you can stack it on top of another rolling suitcase, as well as a USB port for charging your phone (though you'll have to purchase a battery separately).

Inside the suitcase, three more zippered pockets – including one for wet items – help you stay organized, while buckles keep the main compartment's tie-down straps out of your way while packing. This spinner can conveniently expand by 0.75 inches, but keep in mind if you're flying that overpacking may put it over your carry-on size allowance.

I've used other spinner suitcases in the past, but none of them glide as smoothly as this bag, with its 360-degree dual-spinner wheels. I also love the high-quality, lightweight material, but my favorite part is its organizational features – especially the WetPak pocket. I'd highly recommend the Samsonite SoLyte DLX for anyone who needs a trusty soft-sided carry-on for a flight; it definitely fits more than I thought it would. – Catriona Kendall, Editor

Price: $245 or less

Dimensions: 21.25 x 14.17 x 7.5 inches | Weight: 3.9 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 32 liters | Color options: Beige, light green, dark green, lilac, charcoal or 3 others Hard- or soft-sided: Hard | Warranty: Lifetime with 100-day returns

Weighing just under 4 pounds, this bag is the lightest hard-sided carry-on we found on the market. It's constructed with an extremely durable German polycarbonate shell, and the interior has two mesh zippered compartments to keep your belongings from shifting. The inner nylon lining is also resistant to water and stains. To make the suitcase easy to maneuver, there's a top carry handle, a telescoping handle and dual-spinner wheels.

I was absolutely shocked by how light this suitcase is. While some lightweight designs can be extremely flimsy, this July carry-on is very durable and holds a good amount of clothing. With compression packing cubes I was able to pack enough clothing for a week. It was extremely easy to put in the plane's overhead compartment, and the wheels rolled very smoothly for my entire journey. The only thing I noticed is that since the bag is so lightweight, the trolley bag I had was making it want to topple. Next time, I'd use a smaller tote or a north-south design to avoid that issue. – Rachael Hood

Erin Evans | U.S. News

Price: $179.99 or less

Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 10 inches | Weight: 8.16 pounds Packing capacity: 5-7 days; 41 liters | Color options: Black, blue, red or gray Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: 10-year limited

This DELSEY PARIS carry-on is a well-built piece of hard-sided luggage. It meets carry-on suitcase size restrictions for most international airlines and offers an easily accessible front compartment – ideal for a laptop up to 15.6 inches or other items you want to be able to grab quickly. The suitcase has a TSA lock and two spacious internal compartments for clothing, shoes and travel gear. The double-spinner wheels glide smoothly across all types of surfaces, and the handle pulls out and retracts with ease.

I was incredibly impressed by this little workhorse of a carry-on bag. There are so many different pockets and compartments within it for organization, and it fits a surprising amount of clothes, shoes and accessories. The handle and wheels make it easy to maneuver, and the glossy exterior makes it look sleek and chic. – Erin Evans, Managing Editor

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks Newsletter

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

Price: $80 or less

Dimensions: 21.46 x 14.76 x 9.45 inches | Weight: 7.34 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 23 liters | Color options: Black, navy blue, orange or light blue Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: 1-year

The Amazon Basics 20-inch Hardside Spinner is similar to many other hard-sided luggage products on the market, but it's available at a fraction of the price. The ABS shell is textured, so even if you – or luggage handlers – bang it around a bit, it does not show scuffs or scratches easily. The double-spinner wheels (a must, honestly, in today's luggage landscape) make the bag effortless to maneuver.

Inside, one side of the bag features a compression strap, while the other has a large fabric zippered closure, complete with a few organizer pockets for smaller items. Thanks to its availability on Amazon Prime, the carry-on luggage ships quickly, so it's also a great option if you need new luggage in a crunch.

This carry-on bag is a superb selection for the budget-conscious traveler. I appreciated how much I was able to get into this bag (it doesn't look huge, but it fit quite a lot), and the textured exterior really ups the durability factor. The compression straps and the interior organizer even helped me squeeze in a bit more. – Erin Evans

Best Expandability: Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry-on Expandable Spinner

Price: $699 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 9 (up to 11.5) inches | Weight: 10 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 37-48 liters | Color options: Black, navy or olive Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: Lifetime

The Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry-on Expandable Spinner has a standout feature that other bags on this list don't: one-touch CX expansion. Exclusive to Briggs & Riley, this technology allows your bag to expand and compress in one swift motion. Simply press and pull up on the red levers found at opposite ends of the bag, and it will grow 2.5 inches. Once you've packed your belongings, push down on the buttons to compress the bag before zipping it up.

This bag also features a garment folder to reduce wrinkles in a suit or dress, as well as cinch-down garment panels to secure the clothing in place. Other convenient features include interior mesh compartments for organization, an exterior pocket for airport essentials (or even your laptop) and a signature PowerPocket where you can charge your smartphone.

While the bag is undoubtedly an investment at $700, its "simple as that" guarantee (free repairs forever, no questions asked) – plus sturdy features like impact-resistant corner guards and self-repairing zippers – means you'll have it for life.

When it comes to quality, this is the best luggage I've ever used – period. The compression/expansion system is just the icing on the cake. – Amanda Norcross

Best Underseater: CALPAK Luka Soft-Sided Mini Carry-On Luggage

Price: $165 or less

Dimensions: 16 x 14.5 x 9 inches | Weight: 5.1 pounds Packing capacity: 2-4 days; 34 liters | Color options: Chocolate, oatmeal or rose quartz Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: 2-year limited

Compact and filled with useful features, this CALPAK underseater has a water-resistant exterior, a TSA-approved lock, and side and top handles for easy lifting into the overhead or pushing under the seat. There's a telescoping handle, a luggage trolley sleeve and two exterior pockets for stowing small items like your passport, boarding pass and earbuds.

On the inside, there's a padded laptop sleeve, multiple interior pockets and compression straps. For added convenience, the main panel can be secured via built-in snaps to get your laptop out while traveling (and keep your other belongings from spilling out), or you can unsnap it while packing to maximize the interior storage space.

When I'm traveling on a quick trip with my laptop, this is my go-to bag. Its compact size glides easily under the seat, and it's also compact and light enough to fit into the overhead bin even on the smallest regional planes. I love the laptop sleeve and the zippered exterior pocket for my book, earbuds and wipes. To maximize the interior space, I use compression cubes from Lug , and I'm able to squeeze in four to five outfits, a pair of shoes and daily necessities. – Rachael Hood

Price: $83 or less

Dimensions: 20.4 x 14.9 x 8.2 inches | Weight: 6.35 pounds Packing capacity: 2-3 days; 26 liters | Color options: Black, olive, gray, red, blue or purple Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: 1-year

This simple but sturdy carry-on piece from Amazon is a great option for business travelers, thanks to its front pocket for easy laptop access, smooth double-spinner wheels and TSA lock. This Amazon Basics soft-sided carry-on also features a handle on the bottom between the wheels, which makes it easy to put the bag up into and pull it out of the overhead bin. On some airplanes, it may even be small enough to fit under the seat.

The interior of the bag features one large compartment with two compression straps, plus two zippered pockets on the opposite site. The 20.4-inch option is ideal for shorter trips, but this style is available in larger sizes as well. Another bonus: It's available on Amazon Prime, so it ships quickly.

This Amazon Basics option is on the smaller side for a carry-on, but that's what makes it a solid choice for business travelers going on short trips who only need to pack a few things. The laptop pocket is easily accessible, and the handle on the bottom of the bag is super useful for hauling it out of an overhead bin. The black color is professional, and the price can't be beat. – Erin Evans

Price: $565 or less

Dimensions: 21.7 x 15 x 9.6 inches | Weight: 9.5 pounds Packing capacity: 5-7 days; 43 liters | Color options: Gray/cognac, gray/chocolate, gray/black or black Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: Lifetime with a 100-day trial

Constructed with premium materials, this luxury carry-on has Italian leather accents, Japanese spinner wheels and a polycarbonate exterior with an aluminum metal frame for stability. It closes via two secure latches with combination locks (rather than a zipper). There's a front laptop compartment with a smaller pocket and pen slots to keep business essentials or travel documents easy to access.

The interior has leather details, compression straps and a removable compression pad with a pocket – ideal for small items like ties, fashion jewelry or silk scarves. Travelers can also purchase an additional compression pad to have a pad on each side of the interior compartment.

This suitcase exudes luxury with its Italian leather trim and understated elegance. The design of it looks very sleek, the interior is spacious, the handle is very sturdy and the wheels glide with ease. I especially liked that the top of the suitcase is very flat, which gave my trolley bag a secure base so it wasn't moving around while I was at the airport, and the front compartment was ideal for accessing my laptop on the go. It feels very sturdy, but the only downside is it weighs more than a typical carry-on. – Rachael Hood

Best Carry-on Duffel: The North Face Rolling Thunder – 22"

Price: $270 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 8.5 inches | Weight: 7.34 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 5 days; 40 liters | Color options: Black Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: Limited lifetime

The North Face's 22-inch Rolling Thunder duffel doesn't have the bells and whistles of other carry-on options, but it's a sturdy and reliable option for those who want a duffel style on wheels. The duffel has a hard-sided back panel, two wheels that can withstand various terrain and plastic bumpers for abrasion resistance. The soft-sided top of the bag is made of water-resistant Base Camp material and nylon for extra durability. There are two zippered pockets on the outside to stash small items and a mesh pocket inside for some added organization.

I brought this duffel on a trip to New Zealand, and it held up very well. The Rolling Thunder had no issues after being checked on six different flights, and the flexibility of the style allowed me to easily store it out of the way in my campervan once I had unpacked. It's definitely a simpler style, but it does its job well. Be aware, though, that this wheeled style doesn't have straps that would allow you to carry it like a duffel; it can only be rolled. – Catriona Kendall

Price: $200 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 12 x 10 inches | Weight: 3.5 pounds Packing capacity: 5-10 days; 35 liters | Color options: Multiple options but color availability changes frequently Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: Lifetime

When it comes to hands-free and adventure travel, the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L can't be beat. This lightweight carry-on backpack comes with a sternum strap, a removable waist belt and a weight-distributing harness system, all to make for a comfortable carry (since sore shoulders can be a concern when it comes to carrying backpacks through time-consuming airport experiences).

Organization is a breeze with a top zippered pocket – perfect for storing travel documents or a Cotopaxi hip pack – and a padded laptop sleeve on the outside. Internally, you'll find two mesh compartments, one large and one subdivided, that work great with Cotopaxi packing cubes . The backpack's straps can be tucked away for more streamlined travel, and the bag even comes with a rain cover (though the Allpa is already TPU-coated to be water-resistant).

Furthermore, Cotopaxi is dedicated to sustainability : 94% of Cotopaxi products contain repurposed, recycled or responsible materials. The vibrant, one-of-a-kind Del Dia Allpa backpacks , for example, use remnant fabric.

I've taken my Cotopaxi Allpa on countless adventures and it's survived everything – wind, rain, being shoved into tiny rental cars, you name it. Besides being incredibly durable, I love how much this backpack can fit; my longest trip so far with only the Allpa 35L as my luggage has been a comfortable nine days, and that included packing bulky cold-weather gear. I just wish it had a water bottle pocket like the Allpa 42L does! – Leilani Osmundson

Also Recommended

Solo New York Re:Serve Carry-On Spinner: While the Solo New York Re:Serve Carry-On Spinner is a solid (and sustainable) carry-on bag for less than $200, it doesn't offer quite enough space – especially for someone who may be traveling for longer.

Away The Aluminum Carry-On Bag: This is a well-built carry-on bag. The only downfall is that it's on the heavier side, weighing nearly 11 pounds. Away's Aluminum Carry-On is also more than twice the cost of the standard carry-on by Away, which works just as well.

Lipault Plume Cabin Size Spinner: This is a great soft-sided option if you're looking for a lightweight suitcase. Featuring a sleek nylon construction, a large front exterior pocket and internal zippered pockets, the Lipault Plume Cabin Size Spinner works well but isn't as lightweight as the July Carry-on Light.

Monos Carry-on Plus: It's a high-quality suitcase with a lot of internal details, but given its larger size this bag doesn't fit in the overhead compartment on multiple planes (especially regional jets). That said, if you're traveling domestically on larger planes, the Monos Carry-on Plus could be an option to consider. Or, the smaller standard Monos Carry-on could be a good option as well.

Pros and Cons of Hard-sided Luggage

Pros and cons of soft-sided luggage, frequently asked questions.

Aside from traditional rolling suitcases, the following items can be used as carry-on luggage provided they meet carry-on size limitations (which vary by airline) and fit in the overhead bin or fully under the seat (not sticking out) in front of you.

• Duffel and weekender bags:  This includes weekenders and duffel bags with wheels . Just note that wheels are included in carry-on dimension restrictions.
• Garment bags:  These are also considered carry-on baggage by most airlines. You can place your garment bag in the overhead bin, or in some cases, a small closet on the plane.
• Pet carriers:  Some airlines consider pet carriers to be carry-on luggage. Check with your chosen airline when preparing for your trip with Fido.
• Backpacks:  If your carry-on backpack fits under the seat, it will count toward your personal item allowance on most major airlines. This means you'll have the option to bring an additional bag for the overhead bin.
• Diaper bags: If you're traveling with a baby, diaper bags and other baby travel gear generally don't count toward either allowance – meaning you can bring these items in addition to your carry-on bag and personal item.

Purses , briefcases and camera bags can be carried on the plane as well, but usually aren't considered carry-on bags and are instead labeled personal items. Underseater bags – often designed specifically to fit comfortably under a plane seat – are also ideal as a personal item.

Typically, travelers can bring one carry-on bag (for the overhead bin) and one personal item (for under the seat) on the plane, free of charge.

Carry-on luggage sizes can vary by airline. Several major U.S. carriers, such as American Airlines and United, impose a 22 x 14 x 9-inch rule. If you're buying new carry-on luggage, this is a good default size to choose – especially if you fly with a variety of airlines.

For international airlines, it's often 21.5 x 15.5 x 9 inches. To be sure about dimensions as well as any weight restrictions, see our guide to Carry-on Luggage Size & Weight by Airline . It usually doesn't matter how heavy your carry-on bag is, though some airlines do monitor the weight.

• Hard-sided: The hard-sided July Carry On Light weighs less than 4 pounds, making it one of the most lightweight carry-on bags on the market. Other lightweight carry-on bags we recommend include the hard-sided Away The Carry-On (7.5 pounds) and the Amazon 20-Inch Hardside Spinner (7.3 pounds).
• Soft-sided: If you're looking for a lightweight, soft-sided carry-on bag, consider the Lipault Plume Cabin Size Spinner (4.8 pounds) and the Samsonite SoLyte DLX Carry-On Spinner (7.1 pounds).

Hard-sided luggage is often heavier than soft-sided luggage – but only by a few pounds. If you're planning to purchase a hard-sided carry-on bag, look for something that's made of polycarbonate or polypropylene, both of which are lightweight yet durable materials.

How We Tested

Our team tested 26 carry-on bags across several price points and on a variety of trips spanning overseas flights, weekend getaways, overnight trips and more. We traveled by car, plane, train and cruise and packed for a variety of climates and activities, from shore excursions in Mexico to rainy road trips around Iceland. For bags with wheels, we tested their maneuverability on multiple surfaces, including gravel, pavement, grass, moving walkways, cobblestone and carpet. After four months of testing, we deem these carry-on bags the best of the best for 2024.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

The following editors personally tested the luggage recommended in this article:

Erin Evans , Managing Editor: Evans loves a durable bag and also can't say no to a good deal. Considering how banged up luggage can get, her picks on this list are both well-made and affordable.

Rachael Hood , Senior Editor: Hood rarely checks a bag, yet she loves to pack a lot and pick up some new finds along her journey. She looks for a combination of durability, functionality, interior space and overall appearance.

Catriona Kendall , Associate Editor: Kendall opts for convenient and versatile carry-ons that can work well for weekend and weekslong trips alike.

Amanda Norcross , Content & SEO Strategist: Norcross has mastered the art of traveling with a carry-on bag only, but believes this is only possible with the right luggage.

Leilani Osmundson , Digital Producer: Osmundson prefers lightweight, streamlined luggage that's ideal for adventure travel.

You might also be interested in:

• What to Pack in Your Carry-on Bag
• What Is Allowed in a Carry-on Bag
• The Best Travel Insurance Companies

Tags: Travel , Travel Gear

World's Best Places To Visit

• # 1 South Island, New Zealand
• # 4 Bora Bora

If you make a purchase from our site, we may earn a commission. This does not affect the quality or independence of our editorial content.

You May Also Like

The best places to celebrate juneteenth.

Suzanne Mason June 6, 2024

The Best Salem Tours

Lyn Mettler June 6, 2024

The Best Key Largo Snorkeling Tours

Gwen Pratesi June 6, 2024

The Best London Tours

Kim Foley MacKinnon June 5, 2024

Celebrity Ascent Review

Megan duBois June 5, 2024

The Best Graceland Tours

Gwen Pratesi June 5, 2024

Top Things to Do in Orange County, CA

Brittany Chrusciel and Sharael Kolberg June 4, 2024

Fun Things to Do in Arkansas

Ben Luthi and Justine Harrington June 3, 2024

Top Things to Do in Florida

Gwen Pratesi May 31, 2024

The Best Travel Neck Pillows

Timothy J. Forster and Amanda Norcross May 30, 2024

Best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points: From business class flights to Europe to Hawaii

Editor's Note

It's no secret that American Express Membership Rewards are one of our favorite points and miles currencies .

TPG's latest valuations give Membership Rewards 2 cents per point value. However, leveraging the right transfer partners makes it easy to get even more value out of your points.

To prove this value to you, we'll look at some of the best ways to redeem your Membership Rewards points in this article. From high-end business class redemptions to domestic flights around the U.S., there are ways to stretch your points for the best possible travel experience.

Related: Best American Express Credit Cards of 2024

How to earn Membership Rewards points

The best way to do this quickly is by utilizing welcome offers on Amex's top credit cards. Here are some of our favorites:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in your first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for up to a 100,000-point bonus using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
• American Express® Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for an even higher welcome offer using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
• The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express : Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Terms apply.

How to use your Membership Rewards points

You're likely to get the most value from your Amex points by transferring them to partner programs. Membership Rewards partners with 18 different airlines, including Air Canada , JetBlue and British Airways . You also have the option to transfer your points to three hotel chains: Hilton , Marriott and Choice.

You can book flights or hotels directly through Amex Travel , but redeeming points with a transfer partner usually results in a better redemption value. This is because Amex Travel only lets you redeem at a set 1 cent per point value for flights, while transfers can yield a much higher value.

Most Membership Rewards transfers process instantly, while others can take up to 48 hours. Check out our guide to Membership Rewards transfer times for more information.

Here are some of the best ways to redeem your Membership Rewards by transferring them to partners.

Business class to Europe for 50,000 miles

If you want to travel to Europe comfortably, consider transferring your Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM's Flying Blue program. The program prices award tickets dynamically, so on peak dates, you can be charged more than 100,000 miles for a flight to Europe. However, on dates with less demand, you can fly from North America to Europe from as low as 20,000 miles one-way in economy, 35,000 miles in premium economy and 50,000 miles in business class.

Remember that fuel surcharges on these awards can be a little hard to handle — close to $400 per person if you book round-trip business-class flights. Still, 40,000 miles for round-trip economy flights and about $120 in cash is still a great deal.

Flying Blue's monthly Promo Awards are worth checking out as they can offer 25% discounts on the prices above to select destinations.

Related: Is KLM premium economy worth it on the 787 Dreamliner?

Book Delta and ANA flights with Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club charges 50,000 points (so 50,000 Amex points) from the U.S. to Europe in Delta One business class. This pricing applies to all nonstop Delta tickets from the U.S. — connecting tickets are subject to extra mileage.

This is substantially cheaper than transferring points to Delta SkyMiles for the same award ticket, where 375,000 miles for a flight to Europe in business class is not uncommon.

Related: Dynamic airline award pricing is out of control — here are some ways to beat it

Always check Virgin Atlantic first to book a Delta One ticket to Europe. It consistently offers lower prices than Delta and other SkyTeam programs on these routes.

Availability can be hard to come by (though it is usually more available last minute than well in advance). You may wish to consider investing in an award search tool like Seats.aero , with its handy Delta One search finder to easily see availability. Then, you can book directly on Virgin Atlantic's website.

Virgin Atlantic's ANA award chart must be one of the best sweet-spot redemptions in the entire points-and-miles world. The chart below shows round-trip prices:

This means you can fly round-trip from West Coast airports to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda International Airport (HND) in ANA first class for only 145,000 miles or in business class for 90,000 miles. That's less than some airlines charge for a one-way ticket.

ANA first-class tickets sometimes cost $16,000 or more , so this is an easy way to get more than 10 cents per point in value.

Again, availability can be difficult to find and won't show on Virgin's website. It's best to use a partner site like United MileagePlus to check availability and then call Virgin Atlantic to book.

United and Alaska flights to Hawaii

From the great city of Honolulu to the vast beaches of Maui and Kona, the Hawaiian islands truly have everything. You can book flights to the islands on United and Alaska Airlines by transferring your Membership Rewards points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer .

You'll pay just 12,000 Krisflyer miles for a one-way flight from California, Oregon, or Washington to any Hawaiian island. Just note that Singapore doesn't let you book Alaska flights with stops, so you're restricted to booking flights from one of Alaska's various hubs. You also need to call in to book these awards.

Those based elsewhere in the country can book nonstop or connecting flights with United Airlines. You'll pay 19,500 KrisFlyer points for a one-way economy ticket or 39,000 for business class.

Fly the world's longest nonstop flight in comfort

Singapore Airlines operates two of the world's longest flights : Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Of course, you're not going to want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat, so use your Membership Rewards to fly business class.

Both routes cost 111,500 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer points plus taxes and fees one-way — a small price for comfort on such a long flight.

Related: 18 hours in nonstop style: Singapore business class on the world's longest flight

Iberia flights to Madrid

Booking premium-cabin award flights to Europe can be a complicated and expensive endeavor, but Amex's transfer partner, Iberia Plus, uses a distance-based award chart. This is one of the best options to consider when searching for nonstop flights to Spain.

Here are the one-way award prices:

Off-peak business-class flights offer the best deal. You can fly from JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Madrid for just 34,000 Avios in economy, 50,000 in premium economy and 68,000 in business class. Yes, those are round-trip prices . Considering that most airlines charge at least 50,000 miles for a one-way business-class flight to Europe, this is an absolute steal.

Related: Private suites and high-tech touches: What it's like flying Air France's new business class

Book Choice hotels around the world

The Choice Privileges program is lesser-known than the bigger chains like Marriott and Hilton, but it's still worth a look. You can still get value by transferring Membership Rewards to Choice Privileges, with awards starting at just 8,000 points per night.

The company's hotels sit conveniently outside major cities. For example, you can use 10,000 points per night to book the Comfort Inn near the Six Flags theme park in Gurnee, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. This can be a good option for a staycation or a stop on a long road trip.

Things get more exciting when you travel abroad. A handful of properties in Tokyo can be booked for 8,000 points per night. The centrally located Comfort Hotel Tokyo Kanda is one of them. The rooms look solid and are within walking distance of public transit.

Book short-haul flights with British Airways Avios

You don't have to jet halfway around the world to get a great redemption.

Using British Airways Avios is the best way to book domestic flights operated by American and Alaska Airlines. The program uses an unpublished distance-based award chart, so you'll pay more Avios for longer flights; short and mid-haul domestic flights are the award chart's sweet spots for Oneworld flyers.

Flights that are 1,151 miles or shorter can be booked for just 11,000 Avios, and for the shortest flights up to 650 miles in length, you'll need just 8,250 Avios on any date with availability. This is a solid way to use your points if cash flights are otherwise expensive. Think of peak travel times like holidays, conferences and school breaks.

One thing to note about Avios: It charges per leg. This means you'll pay more for connecting flights. In most cases, you should only use Avios to book nonstop flights.

Related: Here's why you should care about British Airways Avios

Bottom line

Whether you're looking for first-class airfare, an economy flight home for the holidays or a road trip hotel, you can use Membership Rewards to cover it all. Use these examples as inspiration for your next big trip. Not only will you have a better experience, but you'll spend significantly less out of pocket, too.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here .

7 Best Free AI Transcription Tools For 2024: Ranked & Reviewed

As artificial intelligence continues to streamline business processes , AI transcription services are being used more than ever to transcribe audio and video recordings into written text.

Not only do they generate results faster than manual transcription — which can often be a tedious, time-intensive process — they’re also more affordable, with loads of low-cost and free services available to desktop and smartphone users.

If you’re interested in capitalizing on artificial intelligence without spending a dime, this guide covers quality free AI transcription tools, including their key features and device compatibility. Scroll down to discover a ranking of our top picks or skip to a specific transcriber using the links below.

The 7 Best Free AI Transcription Tools

Whether you’re a podcaster or the designated meeting scribe, here’s our round-up of the seven of the best free AI transcription tools:

• Happy Scribe

1. Otter AI

• Best for: Students and workers transcribing notes
• Compatibility: Mac, Windows, iOS & Android

Otter AI is an all-in-one AI meeting assistant that’s been designed with the needs of note-takers in mind. Its generous free plan lets users record, transcribe, and summarize meetings and lectures in real-time and also boasts integrations with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet .

Otter’s free transcription cap is much more generous than other services, allowing for 300 monthly transcription minutes each month (at 30 minutes per conversation), from three audio and video files.

Otters AI Chat feature is available on its free plan too, allowing users to chat to other teammates instantaneously. If you need to transcribe video or audio files regularly, however, you’ll have to bump up to Otter’s Pro plan at $10 per user , per month , which lets you import and transcribe 10 files per month.

2. Riverside

• Best for: Podcasters and journalists transcribing interviews
• Compatibility: Mac & Windows

Riverside is a free recording platform that offers audio and video-to-text transcriptions in over 100 languages. It claims to transcribe content with 99% accuracy, which is a huge boon for a free tool, and also offers recording and editing features at no extra cost.

Riverside AI transcription screenshot. Source: riverside.com

These extra features make Riverside ideal for content creators looking for an all-in-one recording, editing, and transcribing tool. Yet, its speaker differentiation feature, which automatically displays when different people are talking, also makes the tool useful for workers transcribing complex conference calls involving multiple speakers.

However, Riverside’s free plan only allows for two hours of audio and video transcriptions, on a one-off basis. What’s more, in order to download transcripts, you’ll have to upgrade to one of its paid plans — making the service less suitable for users transcribing large amounts of content.

3. Happy Scribe

• Best for: Beginners to transcribing tools

Happy Scribe is a user-friendly transcription tool that offers both automatic and human subscriptions. Its free AI transcription service is available in over 120 languages and can deliver results in under five minutes.

Happy Scribe transcription service. Source: happyscribe.com

The tool accepts a wide range of audio and video input, including desktop files, YouTube URLs, and Google Drive links, and also lets users share transcripts in different formats, with the option to activate view-only or edit modes.

Its free plan offers in-house subtitle and translation services too, but only 10 minutes of your recordings are free. Its AI-powered service only claims to be 85% accurate as well, trailing other services like Riverside and Notta.

If you’re transcribing longer files, and want greater accuracy, you’ll have to upgrade to its paid plans with human-made transcription services and be willing to wait 24 hours for results.

• Best for: Managers and video call hosts 
• Compatibility: Mac, Windows, Google Play & App Store

Vowel is an AI meeting helper that lets you host, record, and transcribe meetings. Vowel is one of the only platforms on this list that offers hosting capabilities in-house, making it one of the best choices for managers and other workers tasked with logging minutes in meetings.

Vowel meeting transcriber tool. Source: vowel.com

Vowel works in a similar way to web conferencing services like Zoom but goes above and beyond by offering AI-powered meeting summaries, and advanced live transcription services.

This makes the tool one of the best options out there for users looking to transcribe video calls. However, users looking to transcribe other types of content like interviews or video and audio files will be better off using Otter or Riverside instead.

5. Descript

• Best for: Podcasting and content creator beginners 
• Compatibility: Mac and Windows

Descript is an app for podcasters and content creators that lets you record, edit, and transcribe video and audio content. Descript offers a number of unique features like filler word removal and studio sound quality.

Descript editor and transcriber. Source: descript.com

Descript also has an AI-powered overdub feature that lets you edit text to create voiceovers in your own voice, offering a huge advantage for users who aren’t comfortable speaking themselves.

However, if you’re just looking for a straightforward transcription tool, Descript’s input cap of one hour a month may put you off. If you want a more generous time limit, we recommend upgrading to its Pro plan, at $24 per user, per month , or using other services like Otter AI.

• Best for: Transcribing and summarizing work meetings
• Compatibility: Windows, Mac & Google Play

Grain is an AI conversation intelligence assistant that lets users record, transcribe, and highlight key information in video calls.

Grain’s free plan, Basic, has a much more generous transcribe cap than services like Notta, letting users transcribe 20 meetings, and five additional uploads a month. Free users have access to Gain’s AI notes feature too, which summarizes key parts of the meeting.

Grain AI transcribing and notes feature. Source: grain.com

Grain only lets you transcribe meetings in nine different languages, compared to other services like Riverside and Happy Scribe, which offer over a hundred different language options. This makes the platform less suitable for businesses with a global reach and prevents it from appearing any higher on our list.

• Best for: Workers recording short meeting snippets
• Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Google Play & App Store

Notta is a free transcribing service that lets you convert video and audio content into written transcripts in minutes. It claims to transcribe content with an impressive 98.9% accuracy rate, giving leading services like Riverside a run for their money.

Like our frontrunner Otter, Notta also integrates with leading services like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams , making it easy for workers to record and transcribe work calls.

Notta also offers lots of advanced free features, like screen recording, speaker identification, and live recording transcription.  The free service only lets users transcribe content up to three to five minutes at a go through, which will be a dealbreaker to users wanting to transcribe entire meetings.

Should I Use a Free Transcription Service?

Thanks to these free tools, businesses and personal users no longer have to pay a lot for high-quality, speedy transcription services. However, while these platforms offer impressive accuracy and a boatload of other AI-powered features, their stingy user caps make them ill-suited to users looking to transcribe high volumes of content.

With this in mind, those with regular transcription needs will be better off paying for paid plans. Premium plans tend to offer better quality transcription services too, and often end up being well worth the extra dollars per month.

Get the latest tech news, straight to your inbox

Stay informed on the top business tech stories with Tech.co's weekly highlights reel.

By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy . You can unsubscribe at any time.

We're sorry this article didn't help you today – we welcome feedback, so if there's any way you feel we could improve our content, please email us at [email protected]

• Artificial Intelligence

Written by:

ChatGPT Shirks Election Questions After Inaccurate Answers

The popular AI chatbot made incorrect statements about the...

Best Free AI Training Courses You Can Take in June 2024

Learn how machine learning works from a Stanford professor...

Nvidia Has Announced Another New AI Chip

The announcement comes just three months after its latest...

What Are Remote AI Training Jobs and How Do You Get One?

All these chatbots need to learn how to interact with...