The Player Code Coming soon

Player one, get ready

Gaming, told straight.

The Player Code is a new gaming news and review site, with an iPhone app to match. We work for players, not publishers. No paid scores, no hype and no rumours, just a straight answer on what's worth your money and your time.

See how quests work
Every review ends with one word: BuyWaitSkip
GTA VI countdown: Thursday 19 November Scroll to see your first quests

Daily quests, in the app

Your life, with an XP bar.

Quests are the heart of The Player Code app. Every day you get a fresh board of real-world quests, and your iPhone proves you did them. No tick boxes, so the XP on your profile actually means something.

Daily

Five a day

Hit a step goal, get out of the house, ace the gaming trivia, take a stretch break or catch up on the news. A new board drops at midnight, and clearing all five earns bonus XP.

Weekly

One a week

A bigger goal that takes the whole week, like walking 40,000 steps or getting 12 trivia answers right.

Monthly

One a month

The big one, for the biggest XP. Complete 100 daily quests in a month, or walk 180,000 steps.

  • Levels from 1 all the way to 1,000, and XP is never taken away
  • A streak bonus when you complete quests seven days in a row
  • Double XP events, when everything counts twice
  • Steps and distance come from your iPhone, and your home location stays on your phone
Coming in an updateXP that matches the effort. A long walk will be worth more than a quick read, so the hard quests feel like the main event.
Illustration. The app is still in development.

The big one. We're covering it from launch day

Grand Theft Auto VI is nearly here.

Coming Thursday 19 November 2026

PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Vice City and the state of Leonida, with Jason and Lucia. We'll have news, guides and a straight verdict as it lands.

--Days
--Hours
--Mins
--Secs

Counting down to midnight on launch day, UK time. Rockstar sets the exact unlock time.

Official Grand Theft Auto VI artwork from Rockstar Games
Official artwork
Image from Rockstar's official Grand Theft Auto VI launch trailer
Launch trailer
Image from Rockstar's official video An Extended Look at Grand Theft Auto VI
An extended look
Official Grand Theft Auto VI image from Rockstar Games
Official image

Grand Theft Auto VI images and logo © Rockstar Games, from Rockstar's official GTA VI site, shown as part of our coverage of the game. Release date from Rockstar Games. Grand Theft Auto is a trademark of Take-Two Interactive. The Player Code isn't connected with or endorsed by Rockstar Games.

The code we play by

Five rules. No exceptions.

It's in the name. These are the rules behind every story, every review and every quest.

  1. Players first, always

    We write for the people who buy the games, not the people who sell them.

  2. Official sources, not rumours

    News comes from studios, publishers and platform holders. Leaks and "insiders" don't make the cut.

  3. We call out slop

    Lazy, low-effort and AI-churned games get named on Slop Watch, so you don't waste a penny on them.

  4. No paid scores

    Nobody buys a verdict here. Buy, Wait or Skip is our honest answer, whoever made the game.

  5. Gaming that gives back

    We're building a charity side to help more people play, including disabled gamers who need adapted kit. Partners will be named once they're confirmed.

What's coming

Everything a player actually needs.

One home for honest news, straight reviews and the games you're counting down to, on the web and on your iPhone.

Honest news

The stories that matter, checked against official sources and written in plain English, with our take at the end.

Website and app

Buy, Wait or Skip

Reviews that get to the point. One clear verdict, so you know whether to buy it now, wait for a sale or walk away.

Reviews

Slop Watch

The cash-grabs, asset flips and AI slop clogging up the store, called out by name so you can spot them first.

Only here

Coming Soon countdowns

Follow the games you're waiting for and watch the countdown tick to launch day. The app adds a calendar of every release.

Website and app

Daily quests

Level up in real life too. Hit your steps, ace the trivia, take a stretch break, earn XP and climb the levels.

iPhone app

Tech Sanctuary

Headsets, chairs, monitors and setups, with straight advice on the gear that's worth it and the gear that isn't.

Gear

Save your spot

Launching soon. Don't miss it.

We're levelling up behind the scenes. Keep this page handy and check back, and send it to the friends you game with.