Articles by James Pickard, Senior Deals Editor

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Articles by: James Pickard

A crossword puzzle with the words TechRadar Crossword in pink and other clues filled in with categories from across the site

TechRadar's weekly crossword — puzzle #3, Friday, August 14

By James Pickard Published 14 August 26

This week's TechRadar Crossword puzzle is here, so come test your general tech knowledge and see where you place on the leaderboard.

A kit of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM on a stylish black circuitry background.

'It's only 4x the price it should be' — Amazon's latest DDR5 RAM deal isn't convincing buyers, but it could get worse

By James Pickard Published 11 August 26

"How much?!"

TechRadar's weekly crossword — puzzle #2, Friday, August 7

By James Pickard Published 7 August 26

I'm back with the second TechRadar Crossword puzzle, so come test your tech and general knowledge, and see where you place on the leaderboard.

A split image featuring a collector's edition of Blue Prince, a collector's edition of Hi Fi Rush, and a ModRetro M64.

'We've set this company up in preparation for this moment' — as PlayStation scraps discs, these companies are ready to keep physical games alive

By James Pickard Published 31 July 26

"This is an opportunity – it has to be seen as one"

7 Comments

TechRadar's first crossword is here — puzzle #1, Friday, July 31

By James Pickard Published 31 July 26

Had a long day or want to get your brain kick-started first thing in the morning? Try your hand at TechRadar's first crossword puzzle.

A line graph showing the price progressively going up in a vibrant green and black color palette, with a Samsung SSD and Corsair RAM superimposed.

A $400 SSD that was previously as low as $79.99 shows just how bleak PC gaming is in 2026 — are the days of good deals over?

By James Pickard Published 27 July 26

Prices for PC gaming components have skyrocketed in recent months — is there now no hope for good deals for PC builders, or are there ways to mitigate the damage?

'We want an experience that is close to a pen-and-paper RPG' — The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the game's big choices will offer more player freedom and 'boost immersion'

By Demi Williams Published 7 July 26

The Blood of Dawnwalker director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, wants the game to feel like a "pen-and-paper RPG" that provides an immersive experience.

Screenshot of vampire character in Blood of Dawnwalker

'Clair Obscur showed that you can take a genre and do it in a different and interesting way' — The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the ambitious game was made out of a 'love for RPGs'

By Demi Williams Published 7 July 26

The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the ambitious game was made out of a "love for RPGs" and a drive to make something unique.

A promotional screenshot for The Blood of Dawnwalker.

The Blood of Dawnwalker director says without previous experience from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 'it wouldn't be possible to create a game like this'

By Demi Williams Published 7 July 26

The Blood of Dawnwalker might not exist if not for the experienced developers at Rebel Wolves who worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077.

The Blood of Dawnwalker's Coen facing off against a winged monster.

'We said it's expensive as hell, but we thought it's worth it, because it's unique and different' — The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the RPG's day and night system with its human and vampire gameplay loops is 'almost two different games'

By Demi Williams Published 7 July 26

Rebel Wolves knew The Blood of Dawnwalker's day and night system was going to be challenging, but wanted to deliver a "unique" experience for players.

'The world is living and it's not waiting for you' — The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the RPG's 30-day timer gives the story a 'sense of urgency' and 'emotional impact'

By Demi Williams Published 7 July 26

The Blood of Dawnwalker director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, wants players to feel driven by a "sense of urgency" with the RPG's unconventional 30-day timer.

5 Comments

After 4 hours, The Blood of Dawnwalker feels like a true Witcher 3 successor

By James Pickard Published 7 July 26

The Blood of Dawnwalker's opening four hours show some impressive ambitions for the debut RPG from Rebel Wolves — and I've been left excited to play more.

The ModRetro M64 and Pro controller next to each other on a wooden surface

I spent a month with the ModRetro M64 — and I think there’s no better way to play your classic Nintendo 64 games

By James Pickard Published 9 June 26

'Slappers Only, No Oddjob' is back on the menu in 2026

A shot of the ModRetro M64 with a purple cover on a pink background

The ModRetro M64 looks like the perfect modern way to play your classic Nintendo 64 games

By James Pickard Published 3 June 26

The ModRetro M64 has just been announced, offering a modern way to play all of your favorite classic Nintendo 64 games when it launches in July.

A screenshot from Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss

I wasn’t driven mad by the puzzles in Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, but some frustrating decisions and technical hiccups almost ruined this clever cosmic horror puzzler

By James Pickard Published 16 April 26

There’s a solid puzzler at the core of Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, if you aren’t driven to despair by some technical hiccups, some frustrating mechanics and an auto-save system with a mind of its own.

MacBook Neo preorders — the best places to buy the Apple laptop that 'delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price'

By James Pickard Published 4 March 26

The new MacBook Neo is now available to preorder, so I'm gathering up all of the retailers who have it available and where you can find the best deals.

A screenshot from Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection

Monster Hunter Stories 3 offers a dream sandbox to catch, train, and grow your team of monsters – but I just can't vibe with it

By James Pickard Published 13 February 26

It's not you, it's me

A screenshot from the Honkai Star Rail 4.0 Update

Even with a new planet, fresh characters and many freebies, I'm most excited about the collectible card game coming in Honkai Star Rail's Version 4.0 update

By James Pickard Published 6 February 26

Here's everything coming in the new Honkai Star Rail 4.0 update – and why all of my time will be lost to the new collectable card game.

Cairn's complete dedication to its arduous climb may turn off many, but I found it to be a fulfilling, gratifying, and thoughtful adventure

By James Pickard Published 29 January 26

The mountain is calling

A screenshot from Mio: Memories in Orbit

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a pleasant stroll after the brutal ultramarathon of Hollow Knight: Silksong — and I’m here for it

By James Pickard Published 19 January 26

2026 starts strong with a must-play Metroidvania for fans of the genre