Joel Franey
Joel Franey got his Bachelors in Creative Writing and Games Design from Brunel University in 2017, before going on to do a Masters in Creative and Critical Writing from Sussex University. During this time he also worked freelance in various gaming-related roles and professions, including design, PR, reviews and features, before eventually joining the guides team at USgamer and ReedPop in 2019. Since then, he has written professionally for numerous publications, including Gfinity Esports, Eurogamer, VG247, Dicebreaker, RPS, Jelly Deals and more. These have involved, among other things, writing guides, news, features, reviews, and even working as an SEO consultant, restructuring and rewriting content for the purpose of increased online traffic. He eventually joined GamesRadar+ as a Guides Writer in 2021, with a focus on covering single player games and narrative games, though nonetheless regularly contributing to ongoing coverage of online gaming services and multiplayer properties, and has covered a variety of major AAA games in his time since then. In his spare time he is also a long-time fiction writer, having written books, screenplays and more besides in a variety of genres, and is the co-host and co-creator of the pop culture comedy podcast, "Margaret Thatcher, Templar Spy".
Latest articles by Joel Franey

All Dragon Age Veilguard factions and the best one to choose
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Each faction in Dragon Age Veilguard provides a perk and specific rewards, but which one is best?

Every Dragon Age Veilguard guide you'll ever need to master Thedas
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Every Dragon Age Veilguard guide you'll ever need

I wasn't going to play Pokemon TCG Pocket for long, but then I got the rarest card in my first few hours – and now I can't put it down
By Joel Franey published
Feature Opinion | The newest Pokemon Trading Card Game has me hooked, and I can't tell whether it's down to very good or very bad luck

10 Dragon Age Veilguard tips we wish we knew before playing
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide These tips and tricks for Dragon Age Veilguard will help you prepare for the saga of the Dreadwolf

How long is Dragon Age The Veilguard?
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Beating the main quest for Dragon Age Veilguard takes roughly 30-40 hours, but side activities add many more hours

How to play Minecraft for free at home, legally
By Leon Hurley last updated
Guide Play Minecraft for free and on your browser - no download needed

The best Minecraft cheats and console commands
By Iain Wilson last updated
Cheats We've got cheats and console commands for both Java and Bedrock Minecraft

The best Minecraft texture packs to enhance your world's look
By Jordan Oloman last updated
Guide Learn about installing the best Minecraft texture packs for Java and Bedrock Editions

The best Minecraft shaders to make your world look better
By Heather Wald last updated
Guide Change Minecraft's lighting and atmosphere with these shaders

Dragon Age Veilguard Echoes of the Past walkthrough
By Joel Franey published
Guide Bellara's personal side quest, Echoes of the Past, is about finding power crystals for artifacts

Best Minecraft mods for new biomes, more items, and optimization
By Aron Garst last updated
Guide Try the best Minecraft utility, building, and biome mods for Java Edition and enjoy a fresh experience

How to install Minecraft Forge and use mods
By Leon Hurley last updated
Guide Using Minecraft Forge to install and manage mods in your games

How to fix the Monster Hunter Wilds Black Screen glitch
By Joel Franey published
Guide If you get a black screen after character creation in the Monster Hunter Wilds beta, here's why

What's the best Dragon Age Veilguard Lineage?
By Joel Franey published
Guide Elf, Qunari, Human and Dwarf are species options in DA Veilguard

Monster Hunter Wilds unable to connect to server error and fixes
By Joel Franey published
Guide If you're unable to connect to server in MH Wilds, there's a few potential reasons

Dune and Ghibli collide in Steam Next Fest's strangest strategy game, where you drive steampunk war-crabs across an interplanetary Austro-Hungarian empire
By Joel Franey published
News Frank Herbert and Howl meet in a steampunk take on Sea of Thieves

10 Helldivers 2 tips and tricks to dominating the battlefield
By Will Sawyer last updated
Guide Our advice and tips for Helldivers 2 will help you find your feet - and secure victory

How to destroy Helldivers 2 Fuel Silos
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Fuel Silos in Helldivers 2 can be destroyed with a Hellbomb - but honestly, what can't?

How to beat the Helldivers 2 Terminids
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The Helldivers 2 Bugs generally focus on mass swarms and melee attacks

Helldivers 2 Boosters explained
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Boosters in Helldivers 2 are equipable modifiers that provide helpful bonuses.

How to kill the Helldivers 2 Chargers
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Chargers in Helldivers 2 are huge armored bugs with vulnerable backsides

There's one horror icon who could make the Alien Isolation sequel even better than the original
By Joel Franey published
Opinion Opinion | What's better than one legendary monster of the silver screen trying to murder players...?

The Helldivers 2 guide to managing democracy
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Our Helldivers 2 guides are all here, with gear, enemies, missions more
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