Joe Donnelly

Joe Donnelly

Features Editor, GamesRadar+

Joe is a Features Editor at GamesRadar+. With over seven years of experience working in specialist print and online journalism, Joe has written for a number of gaming, sport and entertainment publications including PC Gamer, Edge, Play and FourFourTwo. He is well-versed in all things Grand Theft Auto and spends much of his spare time swapping real-world Glasgow for GTA Online’s Los Santos. Joe is also a mental health advocate and has written a book about video games, mental health and their complex intersections. He is a regular expert contributor on both subjects for BBC radio. Many moons ago, he was a fully-qualified plumber which basically makes him Super Mario.

Articles by: Joe Donnelly

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree screenshot

Elden Ring's DLC can only be reached from a very specific late game location – 13 years later, is this signature FromSoftware access method still practical?

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | Accessing added content has never been straightforward in FromSoftware's esteemed action RPGs, but is this a good or a bad thing?

Lego Fortnite

Lego Fortnite is my new obsession, but I remain unconvinced it (or anything else) can ever match Minecraft's sense of wonder

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | I'm singing the same tune 13 years later, but this time it's through a new, more profound lens

Elden Ring

I'm so obsessed with Elden Ring's twisted sickness cult that my family has banned me from talking about it at home

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | And it's only going to get worse when the action RPG's long-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC lands later this year

Half-Life 2 deathmatch screenshot showing online multiplayer action

20 years later, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch still my favorite online multiplayer FPS of all time

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | You can rip toilets from the wall and kill enemies with them. Enough said?

Holstin appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2024

Holstin, the action horror game that lets you seamlessly flip between first and third person, showcases its latest terrifying trailer

By Joe Donnelly published

News Holstin looks positively ghastly in all of the right ways

AWaken Astral Blade appearing in the Future Games Show 2024

Awaken Astral Blade trailer breaks out some neat Metroidvania mechanics and a release window

By Joe Donnelly published

News Awaken Astral Blade is as slick as it is stylish with deft platforming and gorgeous anime-inspired visuals

Dustborn featuring in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2024

New Dustborn trailer drops the action-adventure game's long-awaited release date

By Joe Donnelly published

News If Red Thread Games and Spotlight by Quantic Dream's upcoming story-driven adventure wasn't on your radar before, it should be now

Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark is a celebration of the survival horror genre past and present

By Joe Donnelly published

News 32 years since our first trip to Derceto Manor, Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood are back with a bang

Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin review: "A decent PS5 exclusive action RPG that's driven and hamstrung by its ambition"

By Joe Donnelly published

Review

Elden Ring

I've fallen in love with Elden Ring's absolute worst area – just like I did with Dark Souls and Bloodborne

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | Areas I once hated in some of my favorite action RPGs are now places I relish

Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin sits somewhere between Assassin's Creed and Nioh, but the action RPG's rhythm combat took me back to a 27-year-old PS1 classic

By Joe Donnelly published

Hands-on Preview | Team Ninja's latest PS5 exclusive is the studio's most ambitious yet – can it pull off everything it hopes to achieve?

GTA Online

Trust me, you should totally play the latest GTA Online update like it's Metal Gear Solid

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | The Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid is best approached with a serious dash of Solid Snake

Elden Ring

From Skyrim to Elden Ring and even Final Fantasy 7 – my favorite RPG magic spell has never once let me down

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | I get by with a little help from my (overpowered) friends

No Rest for the Wicked

I never once thought of Dark Souls or Diablo when playing Moon Studios' previous games, but the dev's new action RPG feels like the perfect evolution of ideas and talent

By Joe Donnelly published

Preview Preview | Hands-on with No Rest for the Wicked, a game that wants to reinvent the ARPG genre

Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16's Clive and Cid actors discuss the importance of in-person chemistry when working on massive story-driven RPGs

By Joe Donnelly published

Interview Interview | Ben Starr and Ralph Ineson have a great rapport on and off-screen, but that may not have been the case in different circumstances

GTA 6

We're no closer to an exact GTA 6 release date, but is the incoming crime sim likely to follow its forerunners' end-of-year drops?

By Joe Donnelly published

GRAND THEFT AUTOSPY Grand Theft Autopsy | Every mainline GTA bar one has landed between September and November, is GTA 6 gunning for the same?

GTA Online The Criminal Enterprises

Starting a new GTA Online profile from scratch in public servers is more thrilling than chasing any open-world platinum trophy

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | Who knows what the future holds for GTA Online, but I'm taking the city by storm one griefer war at a time

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree screenshot

As much as I'd love more, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC should be the action RPG's curtain call

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | As FromSoftware seeks perfection, I reckon Miquella's story is the only one we need to see

Elden Ring

After almost 400 hours with Elden Ring, I've found the action RPG's hardest enemy – an innocuous, random teleporting knight who you might have missed entirely

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | Just when I thought I was out, this random banished knight has pulled me back in

Legend of Dungeon

I've spent over 10 years trying (and failing) to beat this dungeon-crawling roguelike RPG that was made using cellphone internet data in a treehouse in the woods

By Joe Donnelly published

Now Playing Now Playing | Legend of Dungeon is the game I love to hate, hate to love, and couldn't imagine my life without

Listing image showing (left to right) Another World, Final Fantasy 10, Dragon Age Inquisition, and Golden Sun

13 developers share the video games that helped them fall in love with gaming

By Josh West published

Feature We asked the devs who are helping to shape the future of gaming what made them fall in love with playing them in the first place

Blasphemous 2

Two of my all-time favorite Metroidvania games launched in the last year – and I've hardly understood a word of their stories

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | Narrative hand-holding is fine, but light-touch storytelling suits me just fine in the Metroidvania space

Ultros

Ultros review: "A drop-dead gorgeous head trip of a Metroidvania game set in a cosmic uterus sarcophagus"

By Joe Donnelly published

Review

GTA 6

Griselda GTA 6 rumors have persisted for 8 years – in the wake of the Netflix show, I really hope there's some truth to them

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | I've just finished the six-part miniseries and am more on board than ever

Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin's martial arts and ranged weapons are going a long way to realizing my Sekiro meets Bloodborne fantasy

By Joe Donnelly published

Opinion Opinion | Rise of the Ronin looks like it could take choice-driven combat to a whole other level